Southport is Merseyside’s favourite day trip destination but now the coastal town is reinventing itself as digitally-connected place to work, do business and live well, says Southport BID CEO Rachel Fitzgerald
Rachel Fitzgerald, chief executive of Southport BID. Picture by Gareth Jones
A bold, confident and digitally-connected Southport is emerging as a Liverpool city region powerhouse.
Southport is a place that often invokes rose-tinted memories of hazy summer days on the beach or at the fair. But beyond the sandcastles you will find a town whose economic and cultural renaissance is now in full swing.
People have been coming here and having fun for decades. We are proud of that tradition and long may it continue. But for the past few years Southport BID, along with multiple other organisations and people, have been working to craft a new narrative.
Southport is increasingly becoming a place to live and work, thrive and grow, to find new business opportunities. Thanks to pressure from the BID the town’s businesses can now take full advantage of the city region’s new superfast broadband network.
Since the dark days of COVID we have gradually been upping the ante. Visitors have noticed we now do Christmas differently. We have events but we have now gone beyond the usual one-day lights switch-on.
Southport BID has installed the 60ft high Christmas Tree in the Town Hall Gardens, which is sparkling with thousands of lights alongside festive musical displays. The BID is also creating a Southport Gingerbread Trail.
We are creating a destination where people can come all year round. Since the pandemic Southport’s visitor offer has been transformed with multiple bars and restaurants opening up, as well as the popular Southport Market. Our food and drink offer is exceptional.
Our local businesses are working hard on the ground to support this reawakening and in the background big things are happening that will take Southport to a new level.
More than £37m in funding from the Government is now actively being used as a catalyst to put Southport on a new level. Work is well under way on the £73m Marine Lake and Events Centre (MLEC).
Just like the arena and convention centre helped in the transformation of Liverpool, MLEC will see Southport become a serious destination for major conferences, concerts and theatre productions.
Les Transformations De Southport will provide another opportunity to reinvigorate the town centre. Southport. Inspired by Prince Louis Napoleon’s love of Southport’s elegance, the project will reimagine the streetscape.
It will transform the built environment with better connectivity, especially for cyclists and pedestrians as well as beautiful new public spaces.
Image of proposed new events and conference centre on Marine Lake in Southport
The Enterprise Arcade hub is being created in Crown Buildings in Southport
Southport Food and Drink Festival attracts thousand of people. Picture from Visit Southport
At BID we are totally behind the Lord Street Living project. This is a brilliant regeneration initiative that is looking to repurpose space above commercial premises in the town centre as residential.
Southport’s original evolution as a coastal destination was based on its health benefits. We have a beautiful coastline, lush green parks, multiple activities and leisure opportunities. It is an amazing place to live.
And just as the once decaying Baltic district in Liverpool was transformed into a thriving hub for digital and creative entrepreneurs the Southport Enterprise Arcade will transform the Crown Buildings into a thriving enterprise centre.
Comprising almost 10,000 sq ft of space, the Enterprise Arcade will create a home for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs, focused on the digital and creative sectors.
READ MORE: Investors clamour to build new Southport hotels
2024 has been a difficult year for Southport but progress has still been made and 2025 is the year when years of planning start to come to fruition and the town’s potential really starts to be realised.
And the timing could not be better. In 2026, one of the biggest sporting events in the world – the Open Golf Championship – makes a welcome return to Royal Birkdale. Golf fans from all over the world, as well as global corporate entities, will descend on Southport.
This is not just an opportunity for Southport but also one for the Combined Authority to leverage the potential of one its most valuable assets. With wider support I am confident our town can really shine in the global shop window.
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