Public consultation begins on £10m regeneration project at Southport’s Town Hall Gardens, inspired by murdered schoolgirls Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar. Tony McDonough reports
Sefton Council has launched a public consultation on a £10m regeneration project proposed for Southport’s Town Hall Gardens.
Reported on LBN in June, the project has the backing of the families of schoolgirls Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar who were murdered in an attack on a dance class in the town in July 2024.
With £5m from the Government, and £2.5m each from Sefton Council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the gardens will be the location for a new open-air performance and gathering space.
Once complete, the space will be a “vibrant, family-friendly destination” – hosting open-air performances, markets, and community events – while also offering a “unifying setting where people can come together to remember and reflect”.
Bebe, Elsie and Alice died on July 29, 2024, when 17-year-old killer Axel Rudakubana entered the Hart Space studio in Southport where 26 children, aged six to 13, were taking part in a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop, armed with a knife.
In January this year Rudakubana was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Bebe, six, Elsie, seven, and Alice, nine, as well as the attempted murder of 10 other children and adults.
Since the tragedy the gardens have become a focal point for the community. Thousands of people gathered in the gardens for a vigil. There was also a visit from King Charles and, more recently, a three-minute silence.
READ MORE: Martins Bank owner ‘fully committed’ to transformation project
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.
Sefton Council as the landowner has 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.
“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.”
People can submit their feedback in three ways:
- By email via so*******************@********ov.uk
- In writing to Southport Recovery Team, Southport Town Hall, Lord Street, PR8 1DA
- Completing a form in person at Southport Town Hall.
This 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 fed into the design and development process.