Toad Hall in Ainsdale near Southport is set to be demolished with detailed plans on how the process of knocking it down safely submitted to Sefton Council. Andrew Brown reports
Sefton Council is set to push on with the demolition of Toad Hall in Ainsdale as part of its ‘Ainsdale on Sea Eco-Vision’ regeneration project.
Hoardings are around the landmark building, which has been deemed to be “unsafe and beyond viable restoration”. It is due to be replaced by a temporary car park, with separate plans for that scheme due to be announced soon.
Toad Hall which has stood for the past century, with site notices about the planned demolition in place.
In 2021 it became home to the largest painting created by a single artist in the UK, with a stunning four-storey sand lizard mural by award-winning street artist Paul Curtis.
It will make way as part of the Ainsdale Gateway vision by Sefton Council. The plans include the redevelopment of The Sands, the replacement of Toad Hall with temporary surface car parking, and progress on the future of the Pontins site.
The application, submitted by Ridge & Partners on behalf of Sefton Council, says:
“Originally constructed in the 1920s, Toad Hall consists of four adjoined Victorian style dwellings configured in an L-shape, each with three storeys, with a single storey flat roofed extension to the rear added as a later addition.
“Built originally as dwelling houses to help launch the ‘Ainsdale-on-Sea’ development, the site has had a variety of uses over the years, the most recent being a nightclub, comprising building four and the rear extension.
“However, after the nightclub closed down in the late 1990s, the property has been vacant ever since, and with the remaining buildings also being disused for some years, the property has subsequently fallen into disrepair.
“Toad Hall has been deemed structurally unsafe and beyond viable restoration. Independent surveys, conducted via drone due to safety concerns, confirmed its severe state of disrepair, making refurbishment unfeasible.
“Timber hoarding has already been installed to provide security and safety of the site and complex.
“Following confirmation that services are all fully isolated, the buildings will be soft stripped and all accessible asbestos containing materials identified in the Pennington demolition survey removed by a specialist licenced asbestos removal contractor prior to demolition.
“As the upper floors and Building 4 staircase are structurally unsafe, personnel will not enter these areas.”
The structures will be demolished top-down by mechanical means using 360° excavators fitted with shears, selector grab and pulveriser attachments, working from outside the building footprint.
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The roof will be removed first and the buildings taken down progressively floor by floor, pulling material inwards into the footprint. Exclusion zones will be maintained around the working area and water suppression used throughout for dust control.
A new car park which will be the subject of a separate full and detailed planning application due to be submitted later in autumn 2026.
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