Plans submitted for major Southport events centre

Following a detailed public consultation, which showed overwhelming support from residents and businesses, Sefton Council has submitted plans for The Marine Lake Events Centre on Southport waterfront.

If the plans are approved, the new centre is expected to bring more than half a million visitors to Southport every year as well as generating an annual income of £18M for the local economy.

Aiming to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, the scheme will be centred around a 1,200-seater first-class events space.

The auditorium will be suitable for large conferences, supported by fully flexible and sub-divisible spaces and a 1,500 m² exhibition space capable of hosting over 3,000 people for major esports events.

The scheme will also include a new pier and better connections to the other attractions along the Upper Promenade.

The Marine Lake Events Centre is a working title suggested by one of the 300-plus schoolchildren who responded to the targeted consultation on the project.

Cllr Ian Maher, Leader of Sefton Council, said: “The existing venue closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so this project would redevelop the site creating a new events complex, with state-of-the-art technical facilities, to attract a wide range of different types of entertainment events and audiences to Southport.”