All of this is one step nearer
SOUTHPORT is to receive £37.5m funding for plans which include replacing the town’s theatre with a state-of-the-art waterside event centre.
The huge investment was secured through the Government’s Town Deal Fund and is the biggest to be injected into the town in a generation. It will trigger major changes and is expected to lead to tens of millions of pounds being put into Southport by private enterprises.
As well as the ambitious plans to create the events centre, the town deal will also see the construction of a water and light show to animate the Marine Lake; public realm improvements between Southport train station and the Marine Lake; and the creation of a new business incubator and coworking spaces for hundreds of people in Southport town centre.
Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed the funding yesterday two years after the town was initially invited to bid for up to £25m for regeneration projects.
Southport MP Damien Moore lobbied for the town to be included in those available to bid and welcomed news of the award funding which he said “will transform Southport’s future”.
Rob Fletcher, chairman of the Southport Town Deal Board and chairman of Fletchers Solicitors, said the funding will be “transformative” and showcased the confidence seen in Southport’s future.
The Town Deal Board was established in 2020 and continued working through the pandemic to create a masterplan and business case outlining the the way Southport can develop and flourish by 2030.
The board was seen as vital for persuading the Government to part with cash under the Towns Fund.
Central to the multimillion-pound Town Deal bid is the ambition to create a new waterside event centre to replace Southport Theatre, which closed in March last year when the operator entered liquidation.
According
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discussions in previous meetings of the board, the replacement of the existing theatre and convention centre with a multipurpose venue could lead to 455,000 day visitors per year, including 172,000 from outside the Liverpool City Region.
This would lead to £18.4m being spent in the town both at the new centre and elsewhere and bring the need for bigger and better hotels.
Match funding could also be available from other sources, allowing more money to be spent on the other projects included within the submission.
The full details of which schemes can go ahead under the £37.5m award are yet to be announced but the funding is understood to be in addition to the £1m already secured from Government for the development of Southport’s market and lights along Lord Street, and could inspire tens of millions of pounds in private sector investment.
Arguing that Southport had been overlooked by Sefton Council for investment, Mr Moore said the funding will help shape Southport’s future.
He said: “This funding is an opportunity to present a vision not only of what we want for Southport now, but where we want to be in the future. This has always been my goal, to deliver a locally driven, joined-up package for Southport, rather than the piecemeal regeneration of the past offered by Sefton Council.
“I have repeatedly made the case for sustained investment in our town, both to Sefton Council and to central Government – investment attached to a long-term vision. That case was made much easier by the creation of the Southport Town Board, without which this bid would not have been possible, and a Conservative MP working with a Conservative Government.
“This is not about one single scheme; it is about enabling investment in Southport. Alongside our business case to restore the Burscough Curves, this funding has the potential to generate millions in private sector investment, create jobs and boost our economy. The challenge now for Sefton Council is ensuring this vital funding is put to best use and isn’t wasted.
Mr Fletcher added: “I would like to congratulate our MP on helping secure this funding. He has really been fighting Southport’s corner for the Town Deal in Westminster. It wouldn’t have been possible without his efforts.
“This investment will be transformative for our town. I’m confident it will strengthen our economy and pull Southport up by its bootstraps. It is exactly what we need at this time of uncertainty for people and for businesses and it demonstrates this government’s confidence in our town’s future.
“The money announced will be spent on regeneration projects and will help to create new jobs and further investment attracting businesses and visitors to our town. It has the potential to attract millions more in private investment.”