Southport has the opportunity to bid for up to £50m of central Government funding as part of the Town Deal Fund, to boost economic growth and town wide regeneration. As part of the stakeholder engagement for the submission, a consultation exercise was undertaken to gather feedback on a number of Big Ideas that would inform a wider Vision for Southport.
Each of these Big Ideas included a number of project ideas that we thought had the potential to attract wider investment both from the Government and from the private sector. We asked what you thought of these Big Ideas and what you think we might have missed.
The Town Deal Board received over 2,033 completed questionnaires, with 826 detailed comments from the questionnaires. In addition to this, we received 40 emails, 5 phone calls and 4 letters.
Following the online consultation, the Town Deal Board also engaged with a number of other stakeholder groups including university students, college students school children, visitors and local business owners.
A summary of all the responses received in the full consultation report.
This engagement has informed the Town Investment Plan (TIP) which was submitted to government at the end of October 2020. Key points of influence from engagement include:
The priorities expressed by consultees that have not been included in the TIP will be addressed using funding and delivery routes other than Towns Fund.
The Town Deal Board will continue the conversation with residents, visitors and businesses as the Town Investment Plan progresses.
The waterfront is the area between the promenade and the beach. It contains some of the town’s best loved features including parks and gardens, the iconic pier, the Marine Lake, Pleasureland and the theatre and convention centre. It is an important area in welcoming visitors, and the leisure and business tourism it caters for supports many businesses and jobs in Southport. The masterplan proposes improvements and investment in this area so that it offers a “world class” experience.
What you’ve already told us…
Big Ideas for Change
Our Big Ideas are described below:
1. Create a new, all weather visitor attraction at Pleasureland to boost visitor numbers all year round
2. Major investment in The Southport Theatre and Convention Centre to capture more business conferences and entertainment events, increasing visitors to the town as well as spending in shops, hotels and restaurants
3. Encourage investment in 4* quality hotels along the Promenade and Esplanade to increase the supply of good quality hotel rooms at the heart of the waterfront as well as high quality self-catering accommodation along the Lake Edge
4. Create opportunities for living by the waterfront, overlooking the Marine
Lake to increase the number of residents and spending in the town centre (e.g. a Marine Village with views to the Lake, the beach and the Municipal Golf Course)
5. Animate the Marine Lake to create spectacular displays all year round and to encourage visitors to stay for the evening and overnight (for example using light shows and water displays)
6. Improve pedestrian crossings to the Marine Lake and King's Park
7. Invest in the public realm (e.g. footpaths, street furniture, lighting, signage) and create a better pedestrian experience along the key streets linking the Promenade with Lord Street (for example Nevill Street and Scarisbrick Avenue)
8. Improve the quality of the public realm along Marine Parade and the junction with Marine Drive (e.g. through the use of public art)
We will review all feedback received and use this to inform our bid for £25 million from the Towns Fund, which will be submitted to the Government later this year. This will be an ongoing conversation between residents, businesses, the Town Deal Board, Sefton Council and Government and there will be more opportunities to get involved.
Share
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook