Plans aim to help put town back on the map
THREE Town Deal initiatives designed to help “put Southport back on the map” are due to reach their next stage.
Business cases for all three will be reviewed by Sefton Council’s Cabinet on Thursday, March 10.
They include plans for the new Enterprise Arcade, Southport’s first digital incubator space for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs and a much-needed co-working space.
Other plans making progress include Les Transformations de Southport, which aims to improve routes and public spaces in Southport town centre.
A Building Better Customer Experiences initiative will create a new Southport Standard for service and disability awareness.
The design and business case for the new £75 million Marine Lake Events Centre, which will replace the former Southport Theatre and Convention Centre, will be submitted this summer.
Cabinet members will review the business cases for all three of these projects which have been developed over recent months by the Town Deal board, for which Sefton Council is the accountable body:
1. LES TRANSFORMATIONS DE SOUTHPORT
This project is aimed at improving the public realm within the town centre.
Set to support Southport’s 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 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.”
2. 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.”
3. 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 coworking space creating a community for 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.
Cabinet member for regeneration and skills, Councillor 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 in line with the key objectives of the Town Deal.”
Submitting these business cases for approval is the key next stage in the funding requirements and will soon 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, which will be submitted this summer.
The new events centre is expected to draw more than 500,000 visitors per year to the town.
The combined impact of all of these projects, overseen by the Southport Town Deal Board, will help Southport’s economic recovery and transformation programme.
Councillor Atkinson said: “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’re putting Southport back on the map!”