What is going on with the Marine Lake Events Centre?

A new contractor has been announced. So what happens next?

Hello and welcome to The Southport Lead.

Earlier this week, Sefton Council announced that a new contractor had been chosen to lead the building of the Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC). Pending the completion of contracts, VINCI Building will become the third company to occupy such a role in the oft-stalled project.

But what exactly does this mean and why is the development still taking so long?

In today’s edition, we try to answer some of the questions surrounding the development of a major project which will eventually be the replacement for Southport Theatre and Convention Centre.

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Southport briefing

🏫 A man has been charged in connection with hoax emails which were sent to Merseyside schools including Greenbank High School. The all girls school was the third to be targeted - after Holly Lodge Girls’ College in West Derby and The Belvidere Academy in Liverpool - and entered ‘shelter mode’ last Friday in response. This week, he was charged with three counts of sending communication threatening death or serious harm; possession of a controlled Class B drug; and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place (a baton). Detective Inspector John Black said: “I hope our investigation reassures our communities how seriously we take these reports. I would like to take this opportunity to once again reassure parents and carers that schools across Merseyside have well established and practiced procedures to keep children and school staff safe when schools are made aware of potential incidents or threats. This work will continue and as a police force we will always look to provide advice to schools if required and carry out enquiries if such incidents occur in the future.”

🧘‍♀️ A proposal to convert the former pumping station overlooking Kings Garden into a yoga studio has been granted planning permission. As reported by The Southport Lead in December, plans to convert the historic building into a restaurant have been dropped in favour of an alternative targeting the growing health and fitness sector. Approval has now been granted to the new plan which will see the building house a studio and a cafe.

🎾 Southport’s first padel courts are expected to open in May. Courts, including one sheltered, all-weather one, are going to be built at Victoria Park replacing three of the existing tennis courts. In an update, operators Sefton Padel said all final legal agreements relating to the site have now been fully completed, a main contractor and a court supplier have been appointed, and works are scheduled to begin in March. The first court is due to be in use in May.

📞 Sefton Coroner’s Office is asking for help to find the family of 84-year-old woman. Carole Goulden died at her home on Court Road on Thursday, January 29th and police say there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death. Help is needed to find her next-of-kin so anyone who knows of them is asked to call the coroner’s office by calling on 0151 2934 3081 or email laura.daniels@sefton.gov.uk with any information.

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Marine Lake Events Centre - your guide to what’s happening at key development site

The construction site pictured in May 2025. Pic: The Southport Lead

By Jamie Lopez

Sefton Council this week announced it had appointed VINCI Building as its new preferred contractor for the creation of the Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC).

The developer is the third such company to be announced for the role, which involves leading on the development of the venue. That project itself is considered the most important aspect of the regeneration works which were made possible through Southport receiving £37.5m of funding through the previous government’s Town Deal scheme.

Given the many false starts which have been associated with the project, there are a lot of questions surrounding the entire development so today we answer some of those and, hopefully, give a better understanding of what is happening on the Promenade.