The demolition of the former Southport Theatre and Convention Centre will begin this July with the aim of completing the works by the end of the year.
The landmark building will be replaced by the £73 million brand-new, state-of-the-art, Marine Lake Events Centre and associated water and light show.
The scheme is being led by Sefton Council and is the major development of Southport Town Deal.
The new centre will be a flexible events space that is forecast to attract over half a million new visitors to Southport each year and generate an annual £18 million boost for the local economy. This will, in turn, lead to a significant number of job opportunities.
Demolition and construction work will be led by Kier, whose purpose is “to sustainably deliver infrastructure which is vital to the UK”.
The works will include the removal of asbestos from the area, a well-planned demolition of the buildings and piling to allow the new facility to be created.
Many of the original features of the Southport Theatre / Floral Hall will be removed and restored.
Sefton Council has submitted plans for how the scheme will be carried out, submitting documents including an Enabling and Demolition Phase Construction Environmental Management Plan.
It sets out how the works are due to start in July 2023 and complete in December 2023 and will be reviewed, revised and updated as the project progresses.
Regular liaison will take place with local residents, local business owners and others.
The ambitious project includes:
- Demolition of existing buildings / structures on site;
- Remediation works
- Foundation / piling works
- Other associated engineering works to accommodate the development of a Theatre / Events Auditorium and Exhibition / Convention Centre with integral offices and production facilities, meeting rooms, ticket office / retail concessions, cafe and restaurant, and food & drink concessions; External Water & Light Show within Marine Lake;
- Infrastructure works including: electric substation and associated utilities works, storage/servicing yard area, external concourse / public realm areas, amended vehicular / pedestrian access (including new ramp access) and circulation areas, amended vehicle parking layout (external at grade), ecological mitigation and hard and soft landscaping.
An Environmental Statement has been submitted with the application.
Five units will be needed during the enabling phase which will include an office, meeting room, canteen, drying room and toilet unit.
All site operations will be segregated by secure, solid 2.4m high hoardings to mitigate dust, noise and lighting.
The hoarding type is a low carbon option made from recycled UPVC, and which can be re-used or recycled upon completion.
Storage will be within the existing car park at the rear of the site.
In order to initially secure the site, a line of secure heras fencing will be erected to the perimeter of the development.
The hoarding will fully encompass the site and will connect to the Waterfront Hotel on both the Upper and Lower Promenade Level.
The hoardings will have LED bulkhead light fittings attached at suitable centres in order to provide illumination.
Two sets of vehicle gates will be installed to the Lower Promenade level as part of a one-way road system into and out of the site. Two sets of gates will also be installed at Promenade level in order to service the operations of the piling works. All gates will be kept locked at all times when not in use and supervised by trained vehicle marshals when in use.
The hoardings will be checked on a daily basis to ensure that they are maintained to a high standard at all times and any issues such as damage or graffiti will be rectified immediately.
To manage security a 24hr monitored CCTV system will be installed to the site perimeter.
Parking arrangements will form part of the subcontract orders and will be reinforced during site inductions.
There will be no parking allowed on or around the roads in the surrounding area. Operatives will be encouraged to use public transport, car share or come to site in a minibus. Operative parking during the enabling will be on the adjacent pay and display car park.
In the planning statement submitted to Sefton Council, Kier said: “We register all our sites under the Considerate Contractor Scheme and will for this project.
“We will address all five areas of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, ie Appearance, Community, Environment, Safety, Workforce.
“We consistently outperform the CCS industry average in all areas and are regularly recognised with awards at the CCS National Site Awards as one of the highest performing companies at these awards.”
In order to manage all aspects of site operation safety, a detailed Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan will be developed, monitored and updated as the works progress.
Similarly, in order to manage the environmental impacts of site operations a detailed Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) will be developed, monitored and updated as the works progress.
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