By Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
One of the North West’s leading leisure businesses has called for the Government to do all it can to support ambitions to restore Southport Pier.
The historic attraction, which opened in August 1860, is the second longest pier and the longest iron pier in Britain.
It has been closed since December 2022, however hopes of it being restored have grown since Sefton Council submitted a planning application last year outlining how the pier can be restored – as long as sufficient funding can be secured.
Silcock Leisure Group, the family-run firm which has operated numerous leisure attractions in Southport and Blackpool for several generations, is eager for one of Britain’s “national treasures” to be reopened for future generations to enjoy.
Silcock Leisure Group Head of Operations Serena Silcock-Prince said: “Southport people have been through a lot. They deserve to see their Pier reopened.
“Some people have been against the idea, saying it is just people being ‘sentimental’, but it is not the case at all.
“Since Southport Pier has been closed, it has affected every business in our town in a negative way. Everyone has suffered because of the closure.
“The publicity, both regionally and nationally, has been very damaging. Every time a headline is published saying ‘Southport Pier Closed’, some people read it as ‘Southport Closed’.
“Reopening Southport Pier would give everyone such a huge boost. It is exactly what our town needs.
“I was born and bred in Southport. I grew up with the pier. I know what it means to everyone in our town, the special place it holds. It is so iconic, so recognisable.
“Southport has always been about Southport Beach. Southport Pier. The amusements. Lord Street. All the attractions. We need our pier back!”
Southport businesses were already impacted by the closure of Southport Pier in December 2022.
The Southport tragedy of 29th July last year, in which three young girls were killed and several adults and children were injured, saw visitor numbers fall still further.
Southport people, meanwhile, have rallied round each other and have displayed tremendous community spirit.
Serena said: “Since the tragedy, everyone in Southport has come together and done whatever we can for each other.
“We have shown the world that Southport is a small town with a really big heart.
“It has been brilliant to see the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, coming to visit Southport three times in recent months.
“Each time, he has said he is right behind Southport, and will give our town the support it needs.
“What we would all love to see is the funding required to reopen Southport Pier.
“I have been to so many meetings, I have spoken with so many people locally, who all share that determination to see Southport Pier reopen again.
“Everyone is getting stuck in and working together to make things happen for Southport.
“We have the two-day Southport Armed Forces Festival taking place this summer; there is building work happening all over Southport; we have lots of great events and lots of reasons for people to come and visit.
“The new £73 million Marine Lake Events Centre is in the process of being built, and it would be a huge miss if that stunning new development opens next to Southport’s most famous landmark, Southport Pier, if it still remains closed.
“I am very hopeful it will happen. I am feeling positive.
“I was really pleased to see Sefton Council submit a full planning application detailing exactly how the restoration can be carried out. The plans are in place. All we need now is the green light for the funding.
“Southport Pier is the second longest pier in Britain and the oldest iron leisure pier in the country.
“It is a national treasure.
“It is far more than a local attraction, it is an historic national landmark that the Government, and other national funding bodies, should be determined to restore and reopen as soon as possible.”
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