Southport Theatre demo begins to make way for £73m MLEC
Sefton Council has appointed DSM Group to carry out the work, paving the way for the Marine Lake Events Centre to be developed.
The authority has also begun a procurement process to find a main contractor to build the venue.
In the meantime preparation work is happening on site this week which has involved creating a bespoke bird raft for any disturbed wildlife.
Underground pipework has also been diverted away from site, completed well ahead of schedule by contractors Dowhigh.
External demolition work on the former theatre and convention centre is slated to take place from early summer.
Andrew Fletcher, managing director of the DSM Group, has pledged to work with residents and businesses in the area to minimise disruption, contacting them before work happens, and keeping communication and engagement up throughout.
He said: “We have been able to work closely with Sefton Council and they were impressed with our plans and suggestions to mitigate any disruption to the community, which is a clear priority for the council.
“This appointment reaffirms our position as a trusted partner in delivering exceptional solutions and underscores the dedication of our team to exceed expectations. We look forward to getting started and being part of the creation of the Marine Lake Events Centre.”
The 103,000 sq ft MLEC complex is the banner project of the council’s £37m Town Deal, with ASM Global appointed to manage the venue.
It will feature a 1,200-seat theatre, and 2,400-capacity conference and exhibition space, expected to attract 288,000 visitors a year.
The project will also see the delivery of offices, production facilities, and meeting rooms, as well as a café, restaurant, and shop. The UK’s first light and water installation, ‘The Light Fantastic’ is also part of the development.
Phil Porter, chief executive of Sefton Council, said: “The Marine Lake Events Centre is going to be managed by one of the most experienced companies in the world, bringing more than half a million new visitors to Southport each year and generating an annual £18m boost for the local economy.
“At every stage so far we have been working incredibly hard behind the scenes identifying and appointing the most experienced partners to help us achieve our aspirations and I am delighted that DSM Group will oversee the demolition and enabling works.
“Residents and passers-by won’t see an awful lot yet as preparatory work is taking place inside the building and we expect external demolition works to start in early summer.”
Maria Bertelli, strategic business development director at ASM Global added: “We’re pleased to see real progress taking place on site as the vision for this transformative project begins to take shape. As ever, we continue to work closely with all involved on the delivery of this brand new facility for Southport.”
Ahead of the demolition a number of culturally important items have been salvaged from the former theatre building, including historic projectors, which will be preserved and displayed inside the Marine Lake Events Centre.
The project team for the Marine Lake Events Centre includes CBRE, AFL Architects, Gardiner & Theobald, WSP, Hydrock, Tyler Grange and AECOM.
To view the plans for the Marine Lake centre, search for application reference DC/2022/01391 on Sefton Council’s planning portal.
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What was wrong with Southport Theatre plus the Beautiful renovated Bliss Hotel and our fab pier ?
By Anonymous
Re. Anon 3.55 – Because the old theatre was cheap and nasty when it was first built, and never picked up much of the conference trade; these days it couldn’t possibly compete with ACC Liverpool, Manchester Central, or even Blackpool now they are upgrading the Winter Gardens; similar goes for the leisure offer, where the big shows generally go to the cities. Whether Sefton Council’s business case makes any sense at all given the attractiveness of existing venues, Britannia owning three of the biggest hotels and running them into the ground, many of the smaller ones turning into HMOs or cheap flats, and a lack of direct transport links, is another question…
By Napoleon III
It’s most unlike Bootle to do anything that helps Southport. Let’s hope they have turned over a new leaf away from turning Southport in to Kirkby – though at least Kirkby has a new railway station!
By John
Whatever is being built,will be knocked down in a couple of years, what a waste of tax payers money, sefton council wanna get the trip hazard paving sorted out on Lord Street,the muppets.
By Anonymous
The vicious (and somewhat restricted) circle that is “we never get anything” / “no, we don’t want that..” / “What about X though?” / (When X is proposed) “Yeah, but what about Y?” / “Oh they shouldn’t bother at all..” / “We never get anything..”
By Anonymous
The residents of Southport were not consulted on this project, It is a complete waste of money to build another Conference centre when the one that is being knocked down couldn’t turn a profit due to its sporadic use.It will offer nothing to the local community except a few low paid jobs and will not attract visitors from outside of the area week in, week out.
By Anthony Vickers
Maybe Sandgrounders will stop moaning now
By Bill
What about our pier? This was our heritage. People that you speak to outside Southport, think that since Sefton Council have been running the finance of Southport is turning into a dump. How do you think that makes us feel?
The pink road was our heritage as well. They tried to save money by putting a tarmac road in. Then had to resurface it again, costing us more money. We need people in the council who know how to manage money. We want to be proud of Southport not ashamed.
By Anonymous
There is what political economists call a moral hazard at play here. The market – which is always exceptionally well-informed – has said that Southport, along with its relatively new conference centre, was not for it.
So how can it be right that an organisation funded by taking money from hard-working taxpayers, uses that money to gainsay the market and provide a new facility? Even more morally suspect is the demolition of buildings that perhaps could have been re-purposed.
By More Anonymous than the others