Southport's Major Entertainment Venue in Limbo as Demolition Delays Continue

First it was last autumn then it was spring and now summer. The date for the demolition of the Southport Theatre and the Floral Hall keeps getting pushed back and councillors are none the wiser as to how much the process of demolition will cost.

Opposition Liberal Democrat leader on Sefton, Cllr. John Pugh was told months ago at Sefton’s full council meeting that demolition was on course for the spring and that a final figure for the demolition contract would be provided. On the 1st May the Council told the BBC that demolition would start 'in days’  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9ezkx4l7j1o  

“ I think we have all got to agree now,” says Cllr Pugh, “ that it’s not spring any more . However, without an explanation for the delay, people may be led to assume that either there is a problem or someone has decided that bulldozers on the Promenade is not a good look for the General Election. 

  Either way there seems no good reason not to reveal what the demolition contract is going to cost.

“The drive is for the council to get on with the building of the new events centre and the demolition is an essential first phase of that and is an obviously irreversible step. Delaying that step and not announcing a new contractor for the project leads to understandable nervousness and worries that all the money now needed might not be in place. 

Southport has now effectively gone 5 years without a major entertainment venue. It may rise to 7 ,8 or 9 years before we have one again.”

The Southport Town Deal Board that is overseeing this project met last week. It has no Southport councillors on it and so far no published agenda or minutes for the meeting.

" It might be helpful if they let us all know what is going on,” says Cllr. Pugh.