The Southport Town Deal Board, formed by Sefton Council, has submitted plans to transform the coastal town in Merseyside in a bid to ‘make Southport cool’.
As part of these plans, it hopes to open a new convention and events centre, featuring a 1,200-seat auditorium for ‘major esports events’ and community events, as well as exhibition halls, a co-working space and a cafe.
The bid would see the new events space built on the site of the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre, which closed earlier this year as a result of COVID-19, as mentioned in this post on the Sefton Council website.
It’s part of a £50m plan submitted to the government to transform Southport, including ‘all weather visitor attractions, new business incubators and a light show in the Marine Lake’.
Sefton Council asked residents and school children for their views on what the regeneration plan should consist of.
Rob Fletcher, Chair of the Town Board, commented: “Our plan has been informed by the biggest conversation that the town has ever had about its future.
“We’ve had 7,000 pieces of individual feedback from residents, business and visitors. 700 school children from the town have also put their ideas forward. Our plan is designed to provide opportunities for our current residents and future generations.”
One Southport student said it was all about “making Southport cool”, as reported by MySefton.co.uk.
It’s hoped this funding will kickstart a wider £400m investment in the town, boost business growth and bring 1,250 additional jobs to the area.
The bid is part of the government’s Town Deals Fund, developed to drive economic regeneration of towns across England.
Sefton Labour councillor Marion Atkinson talked through some of the plans – while doing battle with Southport’s coastal winds – in the video above.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
