Unsafe shops in former BHS building forced to close
Prohibition notices has been issued over risk of serious injury to staff and customers
Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
It has been a decade since BHS closed its Southport store ahead of a much larger collapse of the wider business. Since then, the landmark building has fallen into a sorry state.
Work is now underway to transform the upper floors into apartments but the ground floor units are not in a good way. The extent of that is such that two shops were forced to close this week due to unsafe electrics and fears the ceiling could collapse. Read on for the full story.
Southport briefing
The main contractor appointed to carry out repair and refurbishment works to Southport Pier has resumed work following the formal submission of a business case which will enable the government to provide its promised £20m funding. AE Yates has been contracted to undertake early contractor design and further survey works by Sefton Council, having previously been under a pre-construction services agreement for the pier works. These works total around £300,000 and will be funded by Sefton Council in advance of the anticipated award of Government funding for the full project. Council leader Cllr Marion Atkinson, said: “The further appointment of AE Yates to undertake preparatory work builds on their involvement to date in the project, and the Council’s investment in these works helps us ensure readiness for start on site once funding is secured. They have an exemplary track record of working on large scale refurbishment projects and their detailed exploratory work on the pier’s steel structure was invaluable in setting out the sheer scale of challenge we have faced to restore the pier.”
Planning permission has been granted for Phase 2 of the Southport Eastern Access scheme which will see Foul Lane reopened to through traffic and a major redesign of Kew Roundabout. Among the planned changes are the introduction of signalised crossings and cycle paths separated from the main road to make active travel more safely accessible. Phase 2 will include redesigns of the roads to reduce congestion leading to the roundabout and works will begin this year. Cllr Paulette Lappin, Cabinet Member for Skills, Economy and Regeneration, said: “This is good news for everyone, including those who don’t drive and those who would rather just walk or cycle around their local area. We are delivering infrastructure changes that support people to be able to choose to walk, wheel or cycle if they wish, in a way that is accessible for all.” She added: “Improvements to Kew Roundabout, which people tell us they are genuinely scared crossing with small children, will benefit pedestrians in the area, particularly pupils from the local school. The new signalised and segregated cycling and pedestrian crossings will make a huge difference and increase the safety of those young people who are walking or cycling to school.”
The owners of The Bold Hotel will submit an appeal after being rejected for planning permission for a retractable canopy which was installed at the front of the historic venue. Sefton Council refused permission on the grounds it causes harm to the special architectural and historic interest of the Grade II Listed building, which is the oldest surviving hotel in Southport. After the decision, Mikhail Hotel And Leisure Group told Stand Up For Southport that it plans to submit an appeal to the government’s Planning Inspectorate. It will be allowed to retain the installation until that appeal has been heard.
A care home owner who conned his elderly residents to steal millions of pounds has been released from jail after serving a third of his sentence. David Barton was convicted after the longest trial in the history of Liverpool Crown Court in 2018 and the remorseless fraudster was sentenced to 21 years, reduced to 17 on appeal. However, The Liverpool Echo this week reports that he has since been freed on licence.
Safety risks force closure of shops in former BHS building
By Jamie Lopez
Two shops operating from the former BHS store in Southport town centre have been ordered to shut over safety concerns.
Unsafe ceiling tiles and electricals have led Sefton Council to issue a prohibition notice preventing the use of the clothes and phone repair shops which currently occupy part of the ground floor.
The extent of the risk, linked to water ingress at the Chapel Street building, was such that council officers warned that staff and customers were “at risk of serious personal injury” while inside the property.
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