Green light for Southport Events Centre

Southport’s new Marine Lake Events Centre has reached a milestone after it was approved by Sefton Council’s Planning Committee.

Construction work, led by main contractor Kier, on the state-of-the-art, £73M venue is set to start on site, this summer.

Based on the site of the former Southport Theatre, the Marine Lake Events Centre will be a flexible events space. It is expected to bring more than half a million new visitors to Southport each year and generate an annual £18M boost for the local economy.

Sefton Council’s Planning Department said it worked closely with the project’s architects and specialists during the pre-planning phase to make sure the eventual application was of the best quality possible.

The Marine Lake Events Centre is one of the schemes being developed as a result of the successful bid for £37.5M of Town Deal funding for Southport. A significant proportion of this funding is for the Events Centre, as well as for the Light Fantastic, a water, light and sound show in the neighbouring Marine Lake.

Stephen Watson, Sefton Council’s Executive Director of Place, said: “It’s a hugely transformational project designed to boost the local economy, create new job opportunities and bring thousands of extra visitors to our beautiful Borough each year.

“This new Events Centre supports our strategic objectives of providing more reasons to visit, to stay, to stay longer, and to do so all year round – all of which support the creation of quality employment and career opportunities in the sector.

“From the moment we revealed this ambitious project the views and feedback of those living and working near to the site, as well as the wider community, were key to getting to this stage.”