Enterprise Arcade to advance in Southport

Sefton Council’s cabinet will next week be asked to sign off on work at the Crown Buildings to house the 9,700 sq ft digital incubator space, one of its Town Deal projects.

As well as being asked to note the scheme’s continued progress, the report’s recommendations include the agreement of £224,000 for works at the site. K2 Architects is the project designer.

Procurement for the construction works will be led by the local authority’s executive director of place Stephen Watson, in consultation with Cllr Paulette Lappin, cabinet member for regulatory, compliance and corporate services.

Located on Eastbank Street, the Enterprise Arcade will be Southport’s first digital incubator space for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs. Town Deal funding of £1.5m has been earmarked for the scheme as the council looks to provide a base for digital and creative start-ups and scale-ups.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, cabinet member for regeneration and skills, and member of the Southport Town Deal board, said: “By providing refurbished office workspaces for start-up, growing SMEs and co-working space for creative and digital tech businesses, the Enterprise Arcade will be a catalyst for creating a new digital eco-system in Southport town centre.

“Locating the new Enterprise Arcade in the Crown Buildings will enable us to breathe new life into currently unused town centre buildings and by managing the project in-house, we can ensure it delivers best value for Southport, its economy and its young entrepreneurs, in line with the Town Deal Funding objectives.”

The project is one of those accompanying the Marine Lake events centre which accounts for the lion’s share of Sefton’s Town Deal allocation.

Subject to approval, and to contractor procurement, refurbishment works will start late this year. The cabinet meeting takes place on 25 May.