Southport’s £1.5m Crown Buildings revamp green lit

Sefton Council has granted planning permission for the project, which will transform the historic town centre building into a 15,000 sq ft start-up hub.

The £1.5m hub will be known as Enterprise Arcade when it is complete. Enterprise Arcade will provide flexible and affordable workspaces for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent professionals.

Enterprise Arcade is one of Sefton Council’s Southport Town Deal projects. Other projects include the creation of a £33m Marine Lakes Events Centre and the £2.5m Les Transformations de Southport scheme, which will improve the town’s public space and travel routes.

Planning permission for Enterprise Arcade was granted last week, enabling the refurbishment of Crown Buildings, which sits off Eastbank Street and next to Cambridge Walks shopping centre.

Under designs by K2 Architects, the building will boast a 1,500 sq ft food and beverage outlet on the ground floor, three new shopfronts, and office and coworking space on the upper levels.

Kevin Horton, architect director at K2, said that the project has the potential to “create an essential cornerstone in a renaissance for the town’s social infrastructure”.

He elaborated: “The key to this project’s success will be establishing a focus on grass-roots leadership.

“Building on our experience of working with the highly successful team at Baltic Creative in Liverpool, the aim is for Enterprise Arcade to become the collaborative heart of the town’s established but fragmented CreaTech sector,” Horton continued.

“We’ve also sought to capitalise on its proximity to The Atkinson, the hub of the town’s art and cultural offer, to create a facility that makes it easier for schools, colleges, and social groups to better connect with local enterprises and open up new opportunities for employment, innovation, and economic growth.”

• READ MORE: Kevin Horton on Southport’s potential

For those interested in seeing the approved application, the project’s reference number with Sefton Council’s planning portal is DC/2022/02113.