The show must go on: Sefton Council defiant over events centre construction troubles
Plus: £20m pier funding confirmed and What's On This Week
Hello and welcome to the 74th edition of The Southport Lead.
If you’ve spent much time on Facebook this week, you’ll likely have seen lots of posts effectively suggesting construction issues mean the Marine Lake Events Centre will never be built. It’s been reported in some places with an apparent glee.
But what really is going on? Today’s main story focuses on that and hears from Sefton Council’s leader who remains defiant about the venue’s prospects and its important to Southport’s future.
Another landmark which will hopefully stand proud for years to come is Southport Pier - after years of closure and funding problems creating a bleak future, we now have confirmation of how much the government will provide for its repair, restoration and reopening. An announcement took place yesterday and we spoke with Patrick Hurley straight afterwards to clear up some of the details which went unreported elsewhere.
“These are investments in our future, not wastes of money”
By Jamie Lopez
Sefton Council leaders remain defiant that the Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC) will be built despite the departure of a second lead contractor.
Construction work on the flagship centre has now been delayed until 2026 after contractor Graham followed original choice Kier in departing the project. According to a report which will go before the council’s cabinet next week, this decision was made in April.
Other work at the site - such as sheet piling - has progressed and will do so under a separate appointment. However, the new main contractor is not expected to be in place until next year and rising costs mean that the council will likely need to borrow more money in addition to the £20m it has already committed.
Once complete, the Marine Lake Events Centre will be a modern replacement for Southport Theatre and Convention Centre and is forecast to attract more than 500,000 visitors each year, adding £19m to the local economy and creating 280 jobs.
It will be overseen by international operator Legends Global - named ASM Global until a recent merger - and the report suggests that recent developments in the market have actually improved the forecast income in the proposed business case.
Rising costs associated with inflation rises since the £37.5m government funding was announced remain a significant problem for the development and are understood to have been an issue which led to both redesigns and the departure of the two contractors so far.
It is acknowledged in the council report that the exact cost of the project - initially budgeted at £73m - cannot currently be confirmed.
Despite this, the council is remaining firm in its commitment to delivering MLEC and says it is “seen as a vital component to help grow the visitor economy for Southport, Sefton and the wider City Region”.
The report notes that “similar recent projects across the UK including Swansea, Hull and Derby have seen tangible benefits with town centres seeing major increase in footfall, businesses reporting large increase in customers, properties being refurbished and new end users relocating due to the benefits a fit for purpose multi use events centre brings to an area.”
Speaking to The Southport Lead, Sefton Council leader Cllr Marion Atkinson reaffirmed that commitment and took aim at comments from opposition councillors suggesting the project would not go ahead.
She said: “The Marine Lake Events Centre is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Southport’s visitor economy and secure long-term prosperity for our town.
“It is deeply disappointing to see yet another attempt to talk Southport down, especially when so much hard work is being done to deliver a project that will bring over half a million new visitors a year and inject £19 million annually into our local economy.
“Let me be clear - the Town Deal funding is being used responsibly and strategically, and everything we are doing is about securing best value for public finances. The Marine Lake Events Centre is the flagship project, but it is part of a wider regeneration programme that includes improvements to public spaces and infrastructure across Southport. These are investments in our future, not wastes of money.
“Yes, we’ve faced challenges, largely led by inflationary pressures in the industry, but these are being tackled head-on. We’ve already engaged new contractors and are progressing with legal mechanisms to ensure the project can move forward. This is responsible governance and robust commercial negotiation, not mismanagement.
“A full update will be presented to Cabinet on 2nd October, outlining the next steps and reaffirming our commitment to delivering this transformative project.
“Southport deserves ambition, not negativity. We will not allow political point-scoring to derail progress. This is about building a better future and we’re proud to be leading that charge.”
Another issue affecting the development is a covenant which restricts the use of land the council wants to be used for access to the new building.
The covenant is held by The Scarisbrick Estate and could be released through a compensation payment. However, the estate trustee has so far made no response to attempted contact.
If needed, more planning applications could be used to change the official use of the land and force the overturning of covenants. This would result in compensation being paid both to the estate and the administrators of the Waterfront Hotel.
Pier target date set with £20m funding pot confirmed
By Jamie Lopez and Elliot Jessett
The funding promised by the government to re-open Southport Pier will total £20m, it has been confirmed.
Earlier this year, the iconic landmark was namechecked as one of the first would-be recipients of a new Growth Mission Fund, a source of money used to expedite local projects that contribute to economic growth.
At the time, it was said details would be revealed at the end of summer and yesterday Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited the seafront alongside Southport MP Patrick Hurley and Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram to announce that a full £20m would be made available.
The Southport Lead understands that preparations have been ongoing in recent months ready for this announcement, with contractors already lined up to carry out the work. It is thought work could begin within two months ahead of a 16 month restoration period which will see the pier back open for summer 2027.
While a previous figure of £13m was given for the overall cost, inflation has continued to push that up and it is now understood to be well above £15m.
Speaking to The Southport Lead, Mr Hurley said: “I am over the moon. This is a huge vote of confidence in Southport, in its tourism economy and as a seaside town.
“Every town has its symbol of the austerity years. This just shows there is a new government, a new chancellor, a new future.”
Mr Hurley said the project is now in the hands of Sefton Council and that the work would be done to a better standard than the last major restoration, in which the wrong materials and poor workmanship contributed to the rapid degradation.
“This should now mean that repairs like this are not needed again. It will just be routine maintenance time.”
Asked if the public could expect to see work happening on the pier before the end of the year, he added: “At this stage, I can see no reason why they won’t.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Ms Reeves said: “This is all about bringing pride back to local communities, showing that our best days are not behind us, but they’re ahead of us, bringing money back to local communities, putting more money in people’s pockets and supporting our local businesses.
“I have been talking to Steve Rotheram, Patrick Hurley, and Sefton Council leader Marion (Atkinson) and I know how important this project is.
“I know how iconic this pier is for the people of Southport, but for the last few years, this pier has been closed, and I want to return it to its former glory.
“I want it to be a place where the local community can take pride in, but also something that brings people into the local area.”
What’s On This Week: September 28 - October 5
By Andrew Brown
You can enjoy two of Southport’s biggest events of the year over the next few days with the explosive British Musical Fireworks Championship and the hilarious Southport Comedy Festival both heading to Victoria Park - and lots in between too!
Here’s what you can enjoy in Southport from Sunday 28th September - Sunday 5th October 2025:
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