Sefton has allocated £400,000 for Cambridge Arcade in Southport refurbishment

Dukes Ward councillor ,John Pugh, has welcomed the decision of Sefton to allocate £400,000 to the refurbishment Cambridge Arcades' canopies and glasswork but says that more money will be needed to address issues at ground floor level.

"Credit where credit is due. This is a move in the right direction and will be welcomed by all local councillors and especially those of us who represent the town centre who have been lobbying either publicly or privately for action .

We can’t let eagerness for new developments distract us from keeping valuable assets in good shape.

Victorian arcades are a key defining feature of towns like Southport. The contrast between the the privately owned Burton Arcade and the publicly owned Cambridge Walk area has been stark. 

However,improvements in the Cambridge Arcade will only throw into sharp relief the sadly dilapidated state of the Princess Diana gardens which must now be a multi-million restoration project as much of the stonework is beyond repair.That has to be on the heritage asset sick list too