Sefton Council secures first tenant for £1.5m Enterprise Arcade in Southport which is set to be a thriving hub for digital and creative entrepreneurs. Tony McDonough reports

Sefton Council says it has achieved practical completion of its £1.5m Enterprise Arcade in Southport, a hub for digital and creative entrepreneurs.

And the authority says it has secured its first tenant for the 8,000 sq ft facility in the Crown Buildings on Eastbank Street. Hatters Digital Marketing Agency has signed up for space at the hub.

This is one of the central regeneration projects of Southport Town Deal. It will add to other spaces in Southport providing space for co-working and digital businesses including The Engine Room inside Wayfarers Arcade and Werksy on West Street.

It will include a collaborative ground floor food and drink-based offer, a co-working / hot desk and start-up space and a large single office on the third floor suitable for an anchor tenant.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, leader of Sefton Council, said: “Southport’s Enterprise Arcade is part of our ambitious, long-term investment strategy to transform Sefton’s town centres into thriving, collaborative spaces for modern businesses and for modern living.

“We are delighted to have completed the scheme to the high standards of quality we anticipated. We are particularly proud to have completed the scheme on budget, which is a challenge given continued inflationary pressures in the construction industry.

“Our working partnership with Skyline, the main contractor on the scheme, has been a successful one. With Hatters’ move in, we’re about to see our vision of creating innovative hubs for local businesses to grow and thrive become a reality.”

READ MORE: £36m scheme completes at former Rolls Royce factory

READ MORE: Wirral retail park on the market for £50.7m

Sarah Jackson, Hatters Digital Agency’s founder and owner, added: “It’s incredibly exciting to be the first tenant in such a forward-thinking space at the heart of Southport.

“As a digital agency, we thrive on creativity and collaboration and the new hub on Eastbank Street offers the perfect environment to grow, connect, and share ideas with others who share that mindset.”