An events centre is set to receive a more investment despite having millions set aside for the project.
Southport is set to see a new events centre on Marine Lakeside, with £30 million earmarked for the project from the recent funding granted to the town as part of the Town Deal.
The Marine Lake Events Centre is set to be a 1,200 seater events space that will host a variety of events, and will also feature a promenade onto Marine Lake.
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The centre, set to create 230 jobs, is now the subject of a possible £2.3 million investment from Metro Mayer Steve Rotheram.
The funding would allow Sefton Council to work on the next phase of planning for the multi-purpose space.
The proposal will be discussed at the next Liverpool City Region meeting on Friday November 27.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Our town centres have always been at the heart of our communities. They are the places where we meet, shop, relax and socialise but too many of our high streets have seen better days.
“Locally we’ve invested tens of millions of pounds to energise and improve our town centres. Despite the challenges the pandemic has posed, I want to safeguard Southport’s future and ensure that it can thrive for generations to come.”
As part of the Town Deal funding from the government, Southport was awarded £37.5 million, with money already being used to refurbish Southport Market and plans have now been drawn up for the all new Enterprise Market set to open in Crown Buildings in the town centre.
The events centre set for Marine Lake is the centre of the council's vision to regenerate the town and increase tourism.
Councillor Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “As the largest investment project included within the Southport Town Deal, the Marine Lake Events Centre will provide Southport with an incredible events space with state-of-the-art facilities to attract a wide range of different types of entertainment events and audiences to Southport.
“We believe that attractions such as this will create a genuinely unique visitor experience and will only serve to strengthen our visitor economy.”
The events space will takeover previous responsibilities that the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre once held before shutting down following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sefton Council believe that it will be a major boost to Southport’s economy, reportedly set to attract more than 300,000 new visitors to Southport every year, including more than 100,000 from outside the Liverpool City Region.
Councillor Janette Williamson, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economy and Third Sector, said: “Sefton Council has really exciting plans for Southport, to help restore this classic English seaside resort to its former glory.
"At the heart of those plans is a replacement for the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre. Our funding would help unlock that development, creating hundreds of jobs and attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the town every year.”
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