Plans are in the works for a 1,500-capacity theatre and events and conference centre, with a 1,500 sqm exhibition hall.

The £73m Marine Lake Events Centre would replace the existing Southport Theatre & Convention Centre (STCC), which closed in 2020 and was unable to reopen after the Covid-19 pandemic when the operator went into administration.

An IPW-led team including Gardiner & Theobold, Aecom and HOK Architects, was appointed by Sefton Council in February 2020 to undertake a feasibility study into the future of the (STCC). The upshot was that it would be better to just start again, such were the longstanding structural, mechanical and electrical issues with the old centre. It is therefore scheduled for demolition in spring 2023.

A planning decision for the new facility is expected before the end of this year and, if approved, work on the new complex, would begin next year. AFL has been appointed lead architect for the new-build and ASM Global has been nominated as preferred operator.

It is scheduled to open in April 2026.

A meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority this week will be asked to approve an additional £17.7m of local authority funding, on top of £2.3m already committed to pre-construction work.

Southport has also got a £38.5m grant from the government’s Towns Fund, of which £33.3m has been allocated to the Marine Lake Events Centre.

The complex is at the heart of Sefton Council’s plans for Southport’s regeneration.

Sefton Council leader Ian Maher said: “As the largest investment project included within the Southport Town Deal, the Marine Lake Events Centre will provide Southport with an incredible events space with state-of-the-art facilities to attract a wide range of different types of entertainment events and audiences to Southport. We believe that attractions such as this will create a genuinely unique visitor experience and will only serve to strengthen our visitor economy.”

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