Update on Southport Promenade after demolition

Sefton Council said demolition work is progressing well as it gave an update on the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre (STCC). Specialist contractors DSM Group have been working throughout the summer months to demolish the former theatre and continue to make space for the £73 million Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC).

STCC was closed in 2020 amid the covid pandemic, but the local authority put forward proposals to replace it with a 'world class' events facility.

The MLEC is one of a number of schemes being developed as a result of the successful bid for £37.5m of Town Deal funding for Southport and has benefited from £17.7m of funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

After years of consultation and planning, works for the Marine Lake Events Centre project are well underway. While most of the work has taken place inside the building, an annexe building on site has now been demolished. The latest phase shows a visible change to the site and highlights how much work has been achieved during the second half of this year.

The council has already announced the securing of ASM Global which will manage the MLEC venue on the resort’s promenade - joining the events centre to its network of 350 venues around the world including the AO Arena in Manchester.

All partner organisations involved in MLEC - which consists of representatives from the local Authority and DSM - are keen to make the development as community-focused as possible and have recently donated 45 'back to school' kits to local charity Compassion Acts. The kits will help struggling families keep down costs for essential items pupils need when they return to school in September.

Sefton Council has committed to continuing dialogue and consultation with residents and local businesses and regularly organises face-to-face sessions for people nearby to ask questions and raise any concerns. Prior to the demolition, a number of historical heritage items were removed from the former theatre. They are now being held in safe storage and will be incorporated into the future MLEC site for public viewing.

Councillor Paulette Lappin, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills, said: "It's great to see lots of work happening on site and the MLEC project is progressing very well.

"With huge economic and tourism projects like the Marine Lake Events Centre, there are lots of things which need to happen behind the scenes that most will never be aware of so for people to be able to see physical demolition work taking place is great.

"Our social value work is a real credit to the kindness and generosity of our project partners and contractors and I would like to thank them again for their incredible kindness in supporting the community in and around Southport.”