Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.
It’s a real time for change in Southport at the moment, with the pier refurbishment (finally) happening and construction of Marine Lakes Event Centre (finally) set to begin.
The £10m regeneration of Town Hall Gardens is among these and after the second round of consultation concluded, a campaign against the changes gathered momentum and, somewhat confusingly, included criticism about an apparent lack of consultation.
Today’s main story focuses on the latest attitudes to the plans, including by the three families at the heart of the them.
Southport briefing
💷 A cash box was stolen and a security guard assaulted when a delivery at the Santander bank was robbed on Tuesday night. The guard suffered a minor facial injury during the incident before the suspect fled on foot. The incident happened at around 10.30pm and Merseyside Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward. Detective Inspector Sara Lang said: “We are in the early stages of the investigation and are keen to speak to anyone who may have saw the incident. If you live in the area or were driving past at the time, please check you CCTV or dashcam footage for anything that might help with our inquiries. The smallest detail could be the key to finding the person responsible.” Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk using X or Facebook @MerPolCC. Information can also be reported online, by calling 101 quoting incident reference 26000863385, or using Crimestoppers anonymously online and via 0800 555 111.
🚧 The demolition of Toad Hall could take place in January 2027 according to new plans from Sefton Council. The local authority has submitted an application to its planning department detailing how it intends to safely knock down the landmark building. It is initially to be replaced by a temporary car park to serve Ainsdale beach with the council hoping to eventually see a new attraction built there as part of its vision for the Ainsdale Gateway. The application, submitted by Ridge & Partners LLP on behalf of Sefton Council, says: “Built originally as dwelling houses to help launch the ‘Ainsdale-on-Sea’ development, the site has had a variety of uses over the years, the most recent being a nightclub, comprising building 4 and the rear extension. However, after the nightclub closed down in the late 1990s, the property has been vacant ever since, and with the remaining buildings also being disused for some years, the property has subsequently fallen into disrepair. Toad Hall has been deemed structurally unsafe and beyond viable restoration. Independent surveys, conducted via drone due to safety concerns, confirmed its severe state of disrepair, making refurbishment unfeasible.” A separate application for the temporary car park is expected to be submitted in the coming weeks. The Southport Lead has previously reported that the council has spent £450k on the building’s maintenance and securtiy over the past 10 years.
🍟 McDonald’s has lost a bid to operate its Central 12 restaurant overnight. The chain had applied to change its opening hours to 24 hours a day by losing a condition which means it currently can’t open between 11pm and 6am. It had argued that the change would have had positive benefits by leading to extra jobs and increased hours for current employees but Sefton Council’s planning department rejected the application, arguing that McDonald’s had failed to prove the extra hours would not result in unacceptable levels of noise and disturbance. Its decision notice stated: “The Local Planning Authority has sought to work with the applicant in a positive and proactive manner to resolve issues which it considers are necessary to be addressed to make the proposal acceptable. However, on this occasion it is felt that those issues are either insurmountable or the applicant is unwilling to work with the Local Planning Authority to find acceptable solutions within a reasonable time frame.”
🚓 A Southport man was one of two to be arrested and charged in connection with supplying Class A drugs using the encrypted phone network Encrochat. Between December 2019 and June 2020 detectives identified two Encrochat handles: Octo Axe and Rocky-Panda which were suspected to be supplying cannabis, heroin and cocaine via the encrypted phone network. As a result of this investigation, Paul Barlow, 38, of Janes Brook Road, was this week charged with conspiracy to supply a Class A drug (cocaine) and conspiracy to supply a Class B drug (cannabis). Clayton Anthony Jones, 36, of the Spinney, Prescot was charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine and heroin) and conspiracy to supply a Class B drug (cannabis).
🔵 The former leader of Sefton Conservatives is vying to be selected as the party’s Parliamentary candidate in Redditch. Mike Prendergast, who lost his Sefton Council seat in May’s local election and initially continued his role as the party’s group leader, is one of three shortlisted to be chosen to stand in the West Midlands seat which is currently held by Labour with a majority of less than 800. He has previously twice stood as a candidate in West Lancashire in two general elections.
Southport families pay tribute to town’s support as Town Hall Gardens regeneration moves forward
By Jamie Lopez
The families of the three schoolgirls killed in the Southport attack said they are blown away by the support they have received for plans to redesign the Town Hall Gardens.
The families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie have been among those helping to shape the redevelopment of the civic area outside the Town Hall and The Atkinson into a community space which reflects the importance it played after the atrocity and the love of performance their girls shared.
After the attack, the gardens were the location of a hugely attended vigil and it hosted flowers and other memorial items in the following months. The gardens have been remodelled several times over the years, most recently in 1998, and the latest regeneration is seen as the families’ way of thanking the town for its support for those impacted by the tragedy.
In a joint statement, the families said: “We are really pleased to see how far and wide the engagement has been in the consultation process on what we’ve always hoped would be a wonderfully transformative project for Southport.
“We attended a schools consultation and engagement event at the Atkinson with hundreds of local schoolchildren and we were blown away by their positivity and their fascinating views on the future of town centre spaces.
“A young student at the event said they wanted this to be the kindest place in the world - which showed for us straight away that they just ‘got’ what this is all about.
“We know there is much to do still before planning approval and before the works start on site, but we remain fully committed to delivering this project as a way of saying thank you to Southport and the community for the support they have shown all of us.”
The comments were shared by Sefton Council which also issued a strong defence of its consultation process after members of Southport Civic Society claimed the plan was being snuck through without the public’s awareness.
During an appearance on BBC Radio Merseyside and subsequently on social media and in an online petition, the group has accused the council of “destroying” heritage. Its petition, which has more than 3,000 signatures, also accuses the authority of “effectively exploit[ing] the kind and generous intentions of the families in whose name these widely-unapproved changes will be made”.
As part of its response, the authority strongly disputed the claims, pointing to what it described as “one of the most extensive consultation exercises undertaken for a town centre project in recent years in Sefton” along with pointing to “resoundingly strong public backing from people of all ages. “
It said more than 300 people have taken part across two stages of consultation since the plans were first announced last year, with the majority of respondents in the most recent stage saying they fully support the regeneration. The most recent consultation ended earlier this month, with the civic society’s vocal opposition following soon after.
Southport MP Patrick Hurley also reiterated his support for the project seemingly in direct response to the group’s campaigning. He said: “The renewal of Town Hall Gardens is part of the wider programme of renewal and refurbishment I promised when you elected me as your MP, protecting what makes Southport special while investing in the places that need new life breathed into them.
“I believe this project can create an exceptional civic space at the heart of our town: somewhere families and residents can gather, and Southport’s horticultural heritage can be celebrated.
“I will always stand firmly behind protecting Southport’s architecture, heritage and identity. But protecting what makes our town special must also sit alongside the ambition to invest, improve and create spaces future generations can enjoy and be proud of.
“That is why I strongly support this project and the consultation process that has accompanied it. Residents have rightly had the opportunity to scrutinise the proposals and help shape what ultimately comes forward, and I believe the final result can be something truly special for Southport.”
According to Sefton, the plans involved input from Heritage England, Merseyside Police, Southport businesses and heritage groups and will be further modified following the latest feedback. One proposed change being considered is the introduction of a new low-level wall at the front of the proposed Celebration Gardens to help maintain consistency with the wider character of Lord Street.
