Suitors welcome for Southport land once promised for £75m Cove Resort

With the two-year exclusivity deal between Sefton Council and the resort developer having concluded, the local authority is off to see if there’s a better option for the former park and ride on the town’s Esplanade.

The local authority’s cabinet will vote next week to agree to gauge private sector interest in the site, with the executive director of regeneration, economy, and assets due to produce a future report with a recommended strategy for the land in the future.

The recommended option, the cabinet report notes, could still very well be the £75m Cove Resort, a four-star hotel with surf centre and thermal spa.

Sefton Council Leader Cllr Marion Atkinson explained the local authority’s rationale.

“This is an important site and we have a responsibility to make sure its future use delivers the best possible outcomes for Southport and its residents,” she said.

“Our investment in the town, alongside that of our partners in the private sector, is generating undeniable interest in what comes next. We want to turn that interest into tangible benefits for Sefton.”

She emphasised that future plans for the site would undergo scrutiny, stating that the local authority  would be “robustly testing options” before it agreed to anything. There would also be a series of public consultations as part of any future project, she added.

The news follows a series of developments in Southport’s regeneration journey including main works starting for the Marine Lakes Events Centre and the refurbishment of Southport Pier, as well as consultation beginning for Southport Town Hall Gardens.