This week councillors in Sefton will consider taking forward three major projects that are key to the multi-million pound transformation of Southport. Tony McDonough reports
Sefton councillors will this week take forward plans on three key projects for the transformation of the town, including an incubator space for digital start-up businesses.
In the 2021 Spring Budget, Southport secured £37.5m in Town Deal funding after the Town Deal board submitted a range of projects which demonstrated that they could create jobs and attract further investment.
Sefton hopes the £37.5m pot will help leverage hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into the coastal town. With an economy heavily dependent on leisure and tourism Southport was hit particularly hard by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In February, entrepreneurs Tony Howard and Tamlyn Stone told LBN they were keen to push on with their £75m plans to create a leisure beach and thermal spa at the Princes Park waterfront. Also in February, Sefton Council set up a project team to take forward a plan to build a new theatre and convention centre at Marine Lake.
This Thursday (March 10) Sefton Council’s cabinet will review the business cases for three of the Town Deal projects which have been developed over recent months by the Town Deal board, for which the council is the accountable body. They are:
The Enterprise Arcade
Located within the Crown Buildings on Eastbank Street, this project will offer Southport’s first digital incubator space for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs, a co-working space creating a community for our existing and future talent in the sector.
It will also create a new economic driver for the town centre, supporting economic diversification and resilience, and breathing new life into vacant buildings.
Labour Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, Cllr Marion Atkinson, said: “We are breathing life into an under-used asset in an exciting town centre location. The Enterprise Arcade will build on the fantastic digital assets and businesses in the town, supporting diversification and resilience in our economy.”
Les Transformations de Southport
This project is aimed at improving the public realm within Southport town centre, to support its return to the “grandeur of Victorian England”, when it was the country’s second most popular tourist destination.
Les Transformations de Southport looks at interconnectivity across the whole town centre, from improved routes in the town centre to the creation of new public spaces for hosting events.
The public consultation on the first phase of this project is still open and any local residents who still wish to contribute to the consultation can do so at https://yourseftonyoursay.sefton.gov.uk/futuresouthport/
Rob Fletcher, chair of the Southport Town Deal board, said: “The name Les Transformations de Southport recognises our town’s inspiration for Hausmann’s reconstruction of Paris, and this first phase aligns closely with the priority areas identified in our Town Deal consultation prior to the bid submission.”
Building Better Customer Experiences
This is a training programme for employers and employees across the town, aiming to help create a consistent level of exemplary service which can be associated with a ‘Southport standard’.
There will be a focus on understanding Southport and its assets, as well as specific product and service knowledge, and will incorporate a strong underpinning of diversity and equalities training that aligns with the overall objectives for Southport’s vision.
Disability awareness will be a vital aspect of this programme, which will support the elevation of the town’s brand in line with the original Town Deal consultation and bid submission.
A spokesperson for Southport Access for Everyone (SAFE), said: “We are pleased to have the ongoing opportunity to engage with the Council on this and other projects to ensure that equality for people living with a disability is at the forefront of these projects.”
Submitting these business cases for approval is the key next stage in the Town Deal funding requirements. It will be followed by the design and business case for the cornerstone of the Town Deal, the Marine Lake Events Centre and associated light and water show, dubbed ‘The Light Fantastic’.
Cllr Atkinson, added: “This is a key next step in the delivery of Southport Town Deal. Sefton Council and our partners on the Town Deal Board want to see Southport transformed into a thriving, vibrant visitor destination.
“We want to give people a reason to visit and stay for longer. We believe that projects and attractions such as these, along with the recently completed Southport Market, will act as a catalyst for emerging private sector investment.”