After what she called 'disappointing' recent public comments about the future of the Marine Lake Events Centre, Sefton Council leader Cllr Marion Atkinson has described the development as a 'flagship project' that is part of a wider regeneration programme for the  town.

Once-in-a-generation opportunity

She said: “The Marine Lake Events Centre is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Southport’s visitor economy and secure long-term prosperity for our town.

"It is deeply disappointing to see yet another attempt to talk Southport down, especially when so much hard work is being done to deliver a project that will bring over half a million new visitors a year and inject £19 million annually into our local economy.

“Let me be clear - the Town Deal funding is being used responsibly and strategically, and everything we are doing is about securing best value for public finances.

“The Marine Lake Events Centre is the flagship project, but it is part of a wider regeneration programme that includes improvements to public spaces and infrastructure across Southport. These are investments in our future, not wastes of money.

“Yes, we’ve faced challenges, largely led by inflationary pressures in the industry, but these are being tackled head-on.

Responsible governance and robust commercial negotiation

Cllr Atkinson continued: “We’ve already engaged new contractors and are progressing with legal mechanisms to ensure the project can move forward. This is responsible governance and robust commercial negotiation, not mismanagement.

“A full update will be presented to Cabinet on Thursday 2nd October, outlining the next steps and reaffirming our commitment to delivering this transformative project.

“Southport deserves ambition, not negativity. We will not allow political point-scoring to derail progress. This is about building a better future — and we’re proud to be leading that charge.”

You can find out more about the Marine Lake Events Centre here.