Projects due to give a huge boost to the Southport economy will take a step closer to becoming reality, with the spending of up to £4.375m on pre-development activities due to be approved by Sefton Council.
The ‘anchor project’ of Southport Town Deal is the new Marine Lake Events Centre, which would replace the former Southport Theatre & Convention Centre which closed when the Covid pandemic struck the UK in March last year.
The new facility is expected to cost up to £75million and is estimated to attract nearly half a million visitors every year.
Other projects include: a spectacular light, sound and water show in the Marine Lake; the creation of a new Enterprise Arcade in Southport town centre; and high quality public spaces and an accessible and well-connected transport network through ‘Les Transformations de Southport’.
In his report to councillors, Sefton Council Executive Director of Corporate Resources and Customer Services Stephan Van Arendsen said: “In the Government’s Budget statement, published on 3 March 2021 it was confirmed that Southport was offered a Town Deal up to the value of £37.5 million.
“Subsequently on the 1 April Cabinet agreed to the non-binding heads of terms outlining the proposed spend and projects.
“Following this Cabinet further approved to progress with Option 5 for the new Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC) that is the anchor project of The Southport Town Deal.
“The council has recently been informed that it can draw down 5% of the £37.5million in advance of March next year to assist in the preparation of business case development.
“The £1.875m will be used to develop the Town Deal projects consisting of the Marine Lake Events Centre, Enterprise Arcade and Les Transformations de Southport (public realm).
“Further to this the council has been invited by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to submit a pre-development bid up to £2.5m for the Marine Lake Events Centre as also approved by Cabinet on 29 July 2021.
“This will mean the council could spend up to £4.375m on pre-development activities in order to submit the required Town Deal information to the Government by March 2022.”
The report will be presented to councillors on Sefton Council’s Cabinet next Thursday (Thursday, 2nd September).
The projects which will be progressing with Town Deal funding, subject to government confirmation, are:
Marine Lake Events Centre
An artist’s impression of the proposed waterside events centre in Southport, which is proposed as part of Southport Town Deal
This project will transform the existing Southport Theatre and Convention Centre into a high quality, distinctive entertainment and business events venue capable of providing great experiences to audiences and users
The Light Fantastic
A spectacular light, sound and water show could be created on the Marine Lake in Southport
The creation of a UK-first light, water and sound show in Southport’s Marine Lake to attract visitors from further afield and encourage them to stay for longer in the town
Enterprise Arcade
Refurbishment of Crown Buildings to create new business incubator space, supporting Southport’s emerging creative, digital and tech sector
Les Transformations de Southport
How Lord Street in Southport could look under the Soputhport Town Deal plans
The project will start to deliver high quality public spaces and an accessible and well-connected transport network, providing priority for walking and cycling in support of clean growth
Building Better Customer Experience
This project will work with a wide range of stakeholders and businesses to deliver a range of training and development programmes for everyone who has contact with visitors and customers in Southport.
The Town Deal funding will cover the full costs of some projects but not all, and there is still a significant amount of funding required to meet all the projects in the Town Investment Plan. Securing further public and private funding, including from The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, will be equally as important to ensure successful delivery of the wider projects.
This includes not only the projects above, but also some of the other developments included in or stimulated by the Town Deal.
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