Cost of building new Marine Lake Events Centre in Southport soars to above £100m as Sefton Council reveals when it expects the venue to open for the first time. Tony McDonough reports
Sefton Council has admitted the expected cost of building the new Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC) in Southport has soared from £73m to £106m.
Expected to open in “early 2029”, the facility replaces the former convention centre in the town. It will create 386 new jobs, attract more than 600,000 new visitors each year, and is forecast to add more than £30m a year to the local economy.
However, the project has been dogged by delays. Original contractor Kier pulled out in January 2025. In autumn 2025 the next company lined up to deliver the project – GRAHAM – also pulled out after failing to agree a price. In January Sefton agreed a pre-construction services agreement with VINCI Building.
The council says costs for the landmark scheme have increased outside of its control but insists “extensive work” has been carried out to manage costs surrounding the scheme without reducing the quality of its promised offer or the scale of its economic impact.
Funding has come from a number of sources. £33m of the £37.5m Town Deal funding for Southport is earmarked for the project. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has approved £17.7m adding to £2.3m the CA had already committed to pre-development.
Sefton Council has also borrowed around £20m and will have to provide extra funding to bridge the gap between the previous budget and the new one.
Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “The Marine Lake Events Centre will play a major role in driving economic growth, attracting visitors and supporting jobs for years to come not only in Southport but across Liverpool city region.
“Of course we are disappointed that the project won’t be delivered for the initial costs targeted at the time of the Town Deal bid submission in 2020, but this is due to wider economic factors outside our control.
“Both public and private sector projects across the UK have seen costs increasing in some key construction categories by up to 60% since 2020. What we can control is the preservation of quality and impact of the project and we are doing just that.
“We could not consider sacrificing our ambition for Southport, for Sefton and for the region, and must find the funding to deliver on this ambition.”
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An updated MLEC business case is being presented to Sefton Council’s Cabinet on Thursday June 25, with members expected to note the latest financial position while still recognising the importance of still delivering the project.
Subject to Cabinet approvals and the conclusion of ongoing funding discussions, Sefton expects to enter into the main construction contract later this summer.
Cllr Atkinson added: “Extensive work has been carried out to manage this increase while improving longer term commercial outcomes and preserving the quality and impact of the scheme.
“We have always been focused on robust commercial management and securing best value for public money. This includes identifying £12million of savings.”