A Grade II-listed Victorian building in Southport – most recently used as Wetherspoon pub – is to be divided into three commercial units. Andrew Brown reports

A former Wetherspoon pub on Lord Street in Southport town centre is due to be divided into three new units in a bid to revitalise the site.

Most recently used as the Willow Grove Wetherspoon outlet, the Grade II-listed building at 387-389 Lord Street, which is believed to have been built in the 1880s, has been vacant since the pub closed in April 2023.

Wetherspoon still operates the Sir Henry Segrave pub at the southern end of Lord Street, and has also had planning permission granted to to build a new 30-bed hotel on Lord Street.

Owners of 387-389 Lord Street say that “there have already been enquiries made” with a real demand for smaller units but little appetite among operators to take on the whole building.

A previous marketing exercise said that “the site has an exciting flexibility to reopen as a pub, bar, restaurant, or social / immersive leisure venue”.

After Wetherspoon left two years ago, the owners embarked on a £200,000 four-month refurbishment to really make it stand out for a range of possible uses by a multitude of operators.

Paul Neal Architects has now submitted a planning application on behalf of Peelclose Properties to Sefton Council to subdivide the site into three new units, with one on the ground floor with a Lord Street entrance; one on Nevill Street with a ground floor entrance; and one on the first floor with a ground floor entrance.

In the application, they said: “The landlord has made extensive efforts to secure a new tenant since Wetherspoons vacated the site in 2023. Initially the site was advertised in April 2023 through Jenics, a commercial agent with national coverage.

“Licence Trade Associates, a firm who specialise in marketing licensed premises in the north west, were then instructed to market the site in May 2024. Finally in March 2025 Fitton Estates, a local Southport agent, were instructed to market the site.

“All three marketing exercises have led to no serious enquiries being made for the site.

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“Despite the landlord’s extensive efforts to market the site through national, regional and local agents, the advice the landlord has received from all three agents is that there is no demand for such a large amount of space.

“The landlord has since begun to test the market for smaller units and there have already been enquiries made, which has led to this planning application.”

This article first appeared in Stand Up For Southport

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