Southport’s Marine Lake Events Centre reached a milestone this week after it was approved by Sefton Council.
Planning approval for the state-of-the-art, £73 million, facility has been given the green light, and work is to begin this summer. Based on the site of the former Southport Theatre, it is hoped that the Marine Lake Events Centre will bring in more than half a million new visitors to Southport each year and generate an annual £18 million for the local economy.
The Marine Lake Events Centre is one of the schemes being developed as a result of the successful bid for £37.5m of Town Deal funding for Southport.
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A significant proportion of this funding is for centre, as well as for the Light Fantastic, water, light, and sound show in the neighbouring Marine Lake.
Sefton Council has already started a series of preparatory works to ensure the project is not forestalled. This includes identifying ASM Global, a leading venue management company as the site’s preferred operating partner and Kier Group, as the contractor to oversee the delivery of the new venue.
Stephen Watson, Sefton Council’s Executive Director of Place, welcomed the news, saying: “The Marine Lake Events Centre, together with the Light Fantastic, is forecast to attract more than half a million additional visitors to Southport year on year and generate an annual £18 million for the local economy.
“It’s a hugely transformational project designed to boost the local economy, create new job opportunities, and bring thousands of extra visitors to our beautiful Borough each year.
“This new Events Centre supports our strategic objectives of providing more reasons to visit, to stay, to stay longer, and to do so all year round – all of which support the creation of quality employment and career opportunities in the sector."
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