MP gives green light to £50m Marine Lake plans
SOUTHPORT MP Damien Moore has given his backing to £50m proposals to regenerate the town.
The Conservative MP says he is excited by the Southport Town Deal submission which those involved hope could kickstart a wider £400m investment in the town and bring 1,250 additional jobs.
Plans revealed as the bid was officially submitted a new convention and events centre on the site of the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre and a first-of-its-kind lights and music show on Marine Lake.
The plan also aims to regenerate the town centre and drive business growth amid ambitions to return Lord Street to its former glory.
Mr Moore said: “The projects put forward as part of the Southport Town Deal submission are really exciting news for Southport.
“The scope of these projects is huge, and they will unlock millions of pounds in further regeneration funding and create hundreds of new jobs.
“I am working hard to reverse 20 years of neglect in Southport and while not everything will happen overnight, these proposals will go a significant way towards doing that.
“As MP for Southport, I was delighted to be able to secure the opportunity for Southport to bid for this £50million in vital regeneration funding through the Town Deal process.
“The initial aim was to bid for £25million in support, but we have now submitted proposals for projects totalling £50million.
“Southport needs to build back stronger after this coronavirus pandemic, as well as recovering from the 20 years of neglect we have seen here in our town.”
Other aspects of the bid for government funding included a business incubator in a vacant town centre buildings to provide much needed space for digital and creative businesses.
A larger Enterprise Store would also be developed in a former department store building to provide scale-up accommodation for growing businesses.
And the existing Southport Pleasureland is to be transformed, partnering with a globally recognised brand to create a themed indoor attraction open to visitors all year round.
Details of further projects included in the proposal will be released in the coming weeks.
Mr Moore said he has recently been speaking to other business leaders who are also keen to develop new projects in Southport.
He said: “Although it is early days, the Southport Town Deal is already proving to be a catalyst for growth and attracting major investors to Southport.
“We are already seeing very exciting plans develop with Norman Wallis and his Pleasureland site.
“We are also seeing other plans with schemes such as Techedia creating 70 new jobs at their new premises on Corporation Street and JSM Company group’s transformation of the former BHS building into 30 new apart hotels alongside five shops and a pub on the ground floor.
“There is massive optimism in Southport at the moment. There are other things I am engaging with, so hopefully there will be even more good news to come very soon.
“Over the next 10 weeks I will be working night and day to ensure that the Southport Town Deal, and the projects which will be submitted as part of that, will have a substantial impact on the future of Southport.”
A decision on the funding is expected early 2021 and further details of projects will be released in the next few weeks.