Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
I’ve sat through an awful lot of council meetings in my time as a reporter and one thing I’ve become accustomed to is hearing processes and procedures described in unbearably great detail.
Last night’s meeting - in which answers were sought on the decision to close the aviary - fell at the other end of the spectrum. Barely 10 minutes passed between the subject being raised and voted on but some of the discussion was nonetheless very revealing.
Today’s main story focuses on that meeting as the battle to save the aviary continues. It continues at such frequently that it will again be discussed in Bootle tomorrow evening.
Southport briefing
🎢 Adventure Coast owner Norman Wallis promised to keep investing in and improving the theme park after being shortlisted for a national award. Norman was nominated for Theme Park Personality of the Year at the UK Theme Park Awards in recognition of his work at the seafront attraction which was formerly known as Pleasureland. After the ceremony, he said: “Of course, you always hope to win when you’re nominated but to be recognised nationally and to be standing alongside such strong competition is something I’m incredibly proud of. Adventure Coast is about giving families a fantastic day out here in Southport. We’re proud to be independent, proud to be local and proud of what we’re building.” Commenting that he was pleased to see a national spotlight put on the attraction and the town, he added: “We didn’t win this time but we’re not going anywhere. We’ll keep improving, keep investing and keep giving families a reason to visit Adventure Coast and Southport.”
🏫 The demolition of Greenbank High School is expected to be signed off ahead of a three-year rebuild. The 60-year-old girls school is to be constructed on the same site across a four phase plan which is expected to be completed in 2029. The construction of the majority of the existing buildings is thought to date to the 1960s and 1970s and the buildings are therefore considered to be approaching the end of their lifecycle. In recognition of the ageing existing school facilities, the redevelopment project is being funded as part of the Department for Education’s school rebuilding programme. The matter will go before Sefton Council’s planning committee tonight and subject to approval, work is due to begin by the end of this year with some remaining school buildings in use alongside the existing car park, all-weather pitch and the grass sports pitches. The existing school car park will need to be closed during the final phase, with a temporary school staff and visitor car parking area created. Temporary buildings are expected to be in use from spring next year with demolition work beginning by next summer. The new buildings are expected to be open by autumn 2028 and all works finalised a year later.
🙅 Plans to install a eight-foot tall digital advertising screen in Southport town centre have been refused by Sefton Council. In Focus Public Networks Ltd wanted to erect a ‘communication hub’ on pavement at the corner of Chapel Street and London Street but has been refused planning permission. A planning officer’s report described it as adding a “tall, bulky, prominent, illuminated and strikingly modern element” to the area which would add unwelcome clutter to the pavement and negatively the impact on views of the Grade II listed obelisk/war memorial, Grade II listed Hoghton Arms and the Lord Street Conservation Area. Such installations were originally rolled out to replace disused phoneboxes but parent company JCDecaux has looked to target extra locations and argues they come with community benefits through the inclusions of the likes of internet access and defibrillators. The officer’s report noted: “There are currently a number of defibrillators within the immediate vicinity, with three in the adjacent Chapel Street and more in the immediate area, therefore the need for this part of the installation could be questioned. The internally lit digital display would be prominent at all times of the day and particularly at night. Whilst there may be a degree of community content, this is a display largely for the purposes of commercial advertising.”
Aviary response described as “insulting” as scrutiny request defeated in 10 minutes
By Jamie Lopez
The latest attempt to encourage Sefton Council to open up on its decision to close the Botanic Gardens Aviary was defeated in just 10 minutes.
Cllr Mike Sammon brought the matter to the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee last night as the battle for a rethink rumbles on. So far, two public meetings have been held to discuss how to save the aviary and petitions against the closure have received more than 16,000 signatures.
In this case, the Liberal Democrat representative for Cambridge ward was calling for “proper scrutiny” on the decision - something he said has been lacking so far - and requested formal reports on how it was reached.
The decision to close the aviary was included as part of the 2026/27 budget which was agreed earlier this year, with a single line attributed to a saving of £60k from the Green Sefton budget the only reference. It was missed by opposition councillors but they have argued that far greater consultation should have taken place.
Sefton has subsequently said it did not carry out a consultation on the decision as it was an operational decision relating to the budget but then faced questions it has so far been unable to answer as to how this is consistent with its explanation that the closure is necessary for animal welfare reasons.
In raising the matter at the scrutiny meeting, Cllr Sammon referenced this mixed messaging as he sought to attain greater insight into the decision making. When the agenda was published for the meeting, however, he was left disappointed to see no officer’s report had been prepared.
Addressing the committee, he said the designation of the closure as a “non-key decision” highlighted the gap in opinion between those behind it and those against it.
He said: “I think that has led to where we are with people understandably angry about the lack of reports and consultations and transparency behind the decision and how an aviary that matters to so many people can be closed seemingly on a budget line which did not even mention the Botanic Gardens. It said ‘Green Sefton - close aviary.
“I understand that the £60k is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of a council budget, around about 0.0017%. When it comes to the council’s decision making process and what is a key decision, it’s not just about the financial impact, it’s also about the community impact.
“The impact of closing Botanic Gardens Aviary goes far beyond one ward or just the people who live in that immediate area. There are people all over Sefton and beyond who care deeply about this.
“What I can see on this agenda in front of me is there is not an officer’s report on that decision and how it was made. Therefore I struggle to see how tonight we can have proper scrutiny without a report in front of us on how the decision was declared an operational decision.
“Was there a community impact test and how can it be that a decision which is having a huge amount of concern, giving worry about the welfare of the birds which are in captivity - there could be an impact on moving those birds which again I see as a key decision in its own right.
