Reasons to be cheerful
THE new year is shaping up to be a very exciting one for Southport, with lots of eye-catching new developments happening all over our town.
Over the next two weeks, I’ll outline just some of the new things we can look forward to this year. I am sure there will be more surprises along the way!
It follows an encouraging 2022, which saw millions of pounds of new investment in our resort with the opening of The Grand on Lord Street, the new Southport Big Wheel and the new Viking Adventure Golf at Southport Pleasureland and more besides.
There are some very promising opportunities available for investors, with the former Bliss Hotel and
Waterfront site, the Victoria Baths and The Sands among local landmarks up for sale.
If you know of any more new developments happening in Southport in 2023 please let me know by emailing me at: MediaAndrewBrown@gmail. com or message me via Facebook.
1Southport Enterprise Arcade
Plans for a new £1.5 million Southport Enterprise Arcade have been given the go ahead.
One of the major ambitions of the Southport Town Deal project, it will see the conversion of the four-storey Grade II Listed Crown Buildings at 9-11 Eastbank Street into a new high tech, collaborative and affordable workspace for small businesses.
The transformation will create a vibrant CreaTech sector in Southport town centre, offering flexible and adaptable workspaces in a bright attractive environment for both new and established digital, creative and tech business people to work together.
In another boost for Southport’s growing CreaTeach sector and its continuing drive to diversify the local economy, the new Techedia HQ in Southport town centre is due to officially open its doors this year.
The firm has been busy carrying out a £1 million transformation of the historic Cloisters building, formerly Christ Church School, on Corporation Street.
Tech entrepreneur Matthew Townson, who hails from Southport, hopes
2Techedia HQ
to more than double the size of Techedia and create around 75 jobs recruiting from the town’s schools and colleges which he once attended.
Over £4 million has already been invested by Mikhail Hotel and Leisure through the opening of The Grand in Southport last year. Customers have been enjoying meals, drinks and lots of events at The Grand Brasserie and Chloe’s Bar on the ground floor and the 250-seater Princess Grace function room and wedding suite on the first floor. This year, people can look forward to the opening of Harry’s Bar and Sky Bar on the top floor.
The beautiful art deco building, which has been home to a car showroom,
3The Grand
a cinema and a casino, was built in 1923. Don’t miss their spectacular 100th anniversary celebrations this year.
4567The Garrick
At the other end of Lord Street, building work is taking place at the former Garrick Theatre / Mecca Bingo site.
The new owners say that “a theatre and performance space will be at the heart of our plans”. The magnificent art deco building on Garrick Parade, just off the Lord Street boulevard, was built in 1932 and once hosted world famous stars of stage and screen including Julie Andrews, Laurel and Hardy and many others.
New co-owner Niki Anderson said the site has now been bought by business professionals who have “a track record of developing listed buildings”.
The huge new Sainsbury’s superstore and petrol filling station is finally due to open its doors this year.
The new supermarket, at Meols Cop retail park, will see the creation of 160 new jobs. The former Homebase store and two adjacent units in Blowick have now been demolished with the steel frames for the new store now constructed.
It has been a long drawn out saga with the first planning application for a new Sainsbury’s being submitted to Sefton Council in October 2014. The Homebase site has been empty since it closed in 2017.
Sainsbury’s and landlord UBS believe the superstore will create jobs, give a much-needed boost to the retail park and provide greater choice for shoppers.
Sainsbury’s Debenhams building
Exciting plans have been revealed to transform the iconic former Debenhams department store at 539563 Lord Street in Southport town centre into a thriving new development.
Phase one of the ‘comprehensive’ scheme would see the restoration of the beautiful Victoria era frontage on Lord Street into four new shops, restaurants or bars, in order to “return it to its former splendour”. It was created in 1888-1900.
The upper floors would then become: Series of small retail / office / craft spaces 20 new apart hotel rooms overlooking Stanley Street Residential apartments overlooking Lord Street Cafe in the first floor courtyard The ambitious plans are being drawn up by Southport firm RAL Architects. In the submission, RAL Architects owner Rob Anderson said: “The proposal is a comprehensive one to enable the building to be fully utilised to ensure its long-term retention and to return it to its former splendour.”
German Doner Kebab is due to open its new store in Southport this year. The new development will give a huge boost to the Market Quarter area, which has seen a number of independent local businesses open since the £1.4 million transformation of Southport Market into a new food, drink and events venue in 2021.
German Doner Kebab is investing half a million pounds in its project to transform the former McDonald’s / Co-Operative building on the corner of Eastbank Street and King Street in