Council plots land giveaway after EU funding loss halts Southport Business Park development
Plus: Pub closes doors as roadworks keep customers away
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
When the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, little could be confidently predicted about what would follow. Those arguments continue to this week, with negotiations on a deal this week described as either good for the economy or a treacherous mistake depending on where you get your news from.
One knock-on effect across the country has been the loss of EU funding which helped enable huge numbers of developments, including one in our town. Southport Business Park was created as a way to turn low quality land into a thriving location providing large numbers of jobs and a home for employers such as Paymentshield, Premier Wealth Management and DC Law (not to mention the Seventy Ninth Group).
The funding had been vital for ensuring the land could also be developed in a cost-effective way but with that dried up, little activity has happened in the past 10 years. Read on to find out how Sefton Council is having to find a way to deal with it.
Also in today’s edition, a pub landlord explains why she has decided to close down amid the town centre roadworks.
“Unviable” building costs prompts land giveaway at Southport Business Park
By Jamie Lopez
Sefton Council will give away a plot of land for a new office building after the loss of EU funding left Southport Business Park “unviable” for development.
The business park, off Wight Moss Way in Kew, is the town’s only allocated employment site with large development plots available but has seen little construction in the past decade. It was originally created with significant external funding but the state of the ground means it is more expensive to build on than most areas.
Rising costs have now made that issue more difficult to the extent construction is now more expensive than the value of the finished building. Historically, money from the European Union’s Regional Development Fund had covered the shortfall to make construction viable but this is no longer available post-Brexit.
According to documents seen by The Southport Lead, the “absence of external funding support and the challenges of viability have resulted in a lack of development at the business park for more than 10 years now”.
The business park is seen as having the potential to deliver jobs, support skills development and generate business rate income to help if construction issues can be addressed. Currently, it is not viable for Sefton Council to develop the site itself as the market rent value would not cover high construction costs on the “very poor ground conditions”.
In order to counter these problems and support the growth of the EFT Group, the UK’s ‘leading providers of Life Safety and Security Systems’, it has granted a 999 year lease to three plots on the business park.
The company is currently based at Cobden Road but wants to expand to new premises and is eyeing up space at Southport Business Park with the potential of accessing alternative funding support. An agreement for the long-term lease was approved by Sefton Council’s cabinet despite not directly providing income to the council.
A council officer’s report explained: “Whilst it is recognised that the disposal will not generate a capital receipt due to the lack of viability, the development will generate new jobs, provide business rate income and support and encourage further development across the remaining available plots at Southport Business Park.
“These outcomes are consistent with the objectives of Sefton Economic Strategy and ambitions and objectives of the Southport Town Deal.
“If the council do not enter into this lease and allow the land to remain in its current vacant state, this would not assist in meeting the wider objectives linked to economic growth, job creation and skills development. The land in its current state is also a liability from a maintenance perspective and is detrimental to the wider employment site and existing occupiers.”
Recommended reading
The families of the victims of the Southport attack have once again been in the spotlight as they continue their awe-inspiring efforts to spread hope and positivity after their unimaginable losses.
Elsie’s Story - the charity set up in memory of Elsie Dot Stancombe - held a blood donation event which attracted around 100 people to provide crucial supplies to the NHS. You can read more about that here from the BBC.
Next month, two teachers from Farnborough Road schools - where Elsie attended - will complete a skydive to raise funds for the charity. The Independent is among those who’ve covered this one (you can donate here).
Comedian and children’s author paid a visit to Churchtown Primary School this week to read to pupils and donate books to the school’s new library, which will open this autumn as part of the Churchtown Playground project, dedicated to the memory of former pupils Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King. Andrew Brown has details and photos of the visit at Stand Up For Southport.
Elsewhere, a special report from our National edition digs into the the reasons, the numbers and stories about inequality and what’s really disabling the nation? Blackpool regularly ranks as one of the most challenged places on those topics, so Hannah Shewan Stevens writing and her search for what can actually be done is essential reading.
‘Livelihoods are at stake’ as roadworks prompt temporary pub closure
By Elliot Jessett
A popular pub in Southport said it’s been forced to close temporarily due to the impact of long-term roadworks. Connolly’s Irish Pub on King’s street has only been open for a year, but said the construction works have made it virtually impossible for customers to get access to the pub whilst the noise and dust is making the area unattractive.
In February, the LDRS reported on the issues faced by small businesses in and around Market Street due to roadworks. The issues relate to Sefton Council’s ‘Les Transformations de Southport’ project, which plans to pedestrianise Market Street and increase footfall to the area.
It also means major roadworks, which began in February and will be ongoing for the next six months – completion is scheduled for November this year. Currently, parts of King Street and Market Street are completely cut off to transport, and only a few narrow pathways are available for pedestrians to get about the area.
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