The first stage of a dedicated consultation and engagement process into the future of Southport’s Town Hall Gardens has launched today (Tuesday, 26th August 2025).
A £10 million regeneration project for the Lord Street site was announced earlier this summer after the gardens became a key focal point for the community since the tragic events of July 2024.
Thousands of people gathered in the gardens for a community led vigil, the visit of HRH King Charles III and, more recently, a three minutes silence to honour everyone directly impacted by the events of last year.
Funded by Central Government, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Sefton Council, the regeneration of the gardens is the shared hope of the families of Alice Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Stancombe as their way of saying ‘thank you’ to the town who support them throughout an unimaginably difficult time.
Artistic drawings which showcase the potential opportunities for the gardens have already been published, along with the launch of a dedicated website detailing the project’s background.
The vision is to create a welcoming, child friendly and family focussed multi-use performance space that has capacity to hold both small and large scale events including concerts, performances, arts festivals, dance shows and much more.
Sefton Council as the landowner has today launched the first stage of a dedicated consultation and engagement process to ensure all communities have the opportunity to share their views on the future look and feel of the Lord Street Gardens.
Cllr Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills, said:
“Since this announcement we have seen an overwhelming buzz of excitement for this regeneration project.
“This is not the first time the Gardens will undergo a renaissance and many of us will remember its concrete heavy appearance of the 1980s, while avid local historians will look back further to its elegance of the late 1800s and early 1900s when it was also an open air multi-use performance space.
“The consultation will happen across two phases and we are keen through this initial phase to capture your views on what you have seen, heard and read so far. The second stage will then consult on a robust plan and proposal that has considered the engagement we receive over the next month.
“We especially want to hear people’s views on the potential of future water features, parking, floral planters, trees and the 1990s pavilion buildings which are currently in-situ.
“I would also encourage everyone to read through the Frequently Asked Questions on our dedicated webpage which goes into considerable detail about the project as well as the history of the gardens and its current ageing infrastructure.”
Residents who want to have their say can formally submit their feedback in three ways:
• By email via southportrecoveryteam@sefton.gov.uk
• In writing to Southport Recovery Team, Southport Town Hall, Lord Street, PR8 1DA
• Completing a form in person at Southport Town Hall.
The Stage One Engagement process runs for a month from August 26th, 2025 to September 23rd, 2025
Any feedback from this initial stage will be reported to the Project Board, and thereafter fed into the design and development process.
Stage two of the consultation process will take place in due course as detailed design progresses.
For more information and details on the project so far please visit www.sefton.gov.uk/townhallgardens
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