£25m investment

[bambi275]

So how should this be spent in Southport? What are your priorities? Well, here's your chance to make a suggestion & let the government know what you think
https://www.facebook.com/40858257929...6767128809041/

[Alikado]

UP TO

Big words, the Southport share of that is somewhat less £173k or something, enough for consultants to write a report telling us to focus on a returned market.

[Normal]

UP TO

Big words, the Southport share of that is somewhat less £173k or something, enough for consultants to write a report telling us to focus on a returned market.

I believe it is upto 25m for each of the selected 101 towns part of a 3.6b investment. The projects must be suitable before the money can be awarded.

[bambi275]

UP TO

Big words, the Southport share of that is somewhat less £173k or something, enough for consultants to write a report telling us to focus on a returned market.

Where do you get £173k from, as Normal stated it is a part of a 3.6bn project, why not put forward your suggestions instead of sitting complaining about the state of the town and how it's run?

[Alikado]

Where do you get £173k from, as Normal stated it is a part of a 3.6bn project, why not put forward your suggestions instead of sitting complaining about the state of the town and how it's run?

I've put my suggestions forward on other threads, the Town Centre must shrink. In days long gone when space was at a premium businesses took over residential and converted them to business use, these properties need to be converted back and the businesses moved into the vacant centre. Also there are many retail outlets that have large under utilised storerooms dating back to the Golden Years when shops carried large stocks, these retailers need to be persuaded to down size. Only when there are high occupancy rates will the Centre succeed, it has to be made to fit the business available.

[said]

I've put my suggestions forward on other threads, the Town Centre must shrink. In days long gone when space was at a premium businesses took over residential and converted them to business use, these properties need to be converted back and the businesses moved into the vacant centre. Also there are many retail outlets that have large under utilised storerooms dating back to the Golden Years when shops carried large stocks, these retailers need to be persuaded to down size. Only when there are high occupancy rates will the Centre succeed, it has to be made to fit the business available.

Absolutely - the era of huge stores and shopping malls is finished. People want better service, more knowledgeable responses and speedier shopping - these are not available in large stores/malls. It has been mentioned on the site a few times - that the station needs to be taken back to the junction of the Liverpool/Manchester connections and the Bursough curves needs to be opened up. The town needs better connections to as many areas as possible. The area where the station now stands and the car park - should be opened right up. The existing station should be demolished along with the other shops on that block on Chapel Street - and there should be more chic and modern eateries and entertainment areas in that area, along with private enterprise retail shops - going right back to where the new station would be located. The whole area being pedestrianised while Chapel Street would be reopened to traffic.

Then of course is the age old suggestion of a road bridge over the water to Blackpool, to open up the North and avoid the congestion in Preston - which would now be a good idea since our beach has literally had its day too.

[Alikado]

Absolutely - the era of huge stores and shopping malls is finished. People want better service, more knowledgeable responses and speedier shopping - these are not available in large stores/malls. It has been mentioned on the site a few times - that the station needs to be taken back to the junction of the Liverpool/Manchester connections and the Bursough curves needs to be opened up. The town needs better connections to as many areas as possible. The area where the station now stands and the car park - should be opened right up. The existing station should be demolished along with the other shops on that block on Chapel Street - and there should be more chic and modern eateries and entertainment areas in that area, along with private enterprise retail shops - going right back to where the new station would be located. The whole area being pedestrianised while Chapel Street would be reopened to traffic.

Then of course is the age old suggestion of a road bridge over the water to Blackpool, to open up the North and avoid the congestion in Preston - which would now be a good idea since our beach has literally had its day too.

Opening up the Burscough Curves is pointless, there would be little passenger traffic, the Ormskirk to Preston line carries little traffic and it is a single track line, it would be better to reinstate a passenger service via Banks, Tarleton Longton Hesketh Bank to give those citizens a rail link to Southport, it would be far easier to justify that rather than the white elephant curves.

[The PNP]

Opening up the Burscough Curves is pointless, there would be little passenger traffic, the Ormskirk to Preston line carries little traffic and it is a single track line, it would be better to reinstate a passenger service via Banks, Tarleton Longton Hesketh Bank to give those citizens a rail link to Southport, it would be far easier to justify that rather than the white elephant curves.

Agree that reinstating the original Southport to Preston line via Hesketh Bank etc would be ideal. Even better if it made use of the electric Merseyrail third-rail system. Unfortunately, the cost of reinstatement would be huge and for that reason it's incredibly unlikely ever to happen.......The Burscough curves reinstatement would cost just a tiny fraction of that, which makes them the only viable option.

[The PNP]

The existing station should be demolished along with the other shops on that block on Chapel Street - and there should be more chic and modern eateries and entertainment areas in that area, along with private enterprise retail shops - going right back to where the new station would be located. The whole area being pedestrianised while Chapel Street would be reopened to traffic.

That's going to cost plenty - where would the funding for it all come from? With town-centres/shopping malls on the decline, you'll have a very hard time getting the private sector to invest in a potential white retail elephant!

Given the funding, it's straightforward enough to electrify the Southport to Burscough line in order to form a Merseyrail loop-line, without any costly station demolition. Just run the trains from L'pool into the existing platform/s and have the drivers change ends, then simply switch the points and set off for Burscough, etc.

[Alikado]

Agree that reinstating the original Southport to Preston line via Hesketh Bank etc would be ideal. Even better if it made use of the electric Merseyrail third-rail system. Unfortunately, the cost of reinstatement would be huge and for that reason it's incredibly unlikely ever to happen.......The Burscough curves reinstatement would cost just a tiny fraction of that, which makes them the only viable option.

The Government has already been talking about reopening closed lines, when you do the figures the curves option is only to do with Southport, the option going the Tarleton direction pulls in another 20k+ possible customers who currently have no rail access.

[gsgsgs]

Will opening up the Burscough Curves help Southport, as it is both lines to Manchester and Liverpool are busy with shoppers heading away from our town centre, giving people a 3rd option of shopping in Preston really what we want?

[Alikado]

Will opening up the Burscough Curves help Southport, as it is both lines to Manchester and Liverpool are busy with shoppers heading away from our town centre, giving people a 3rd option of shopping in Preston really what we want?

There is already a good bus service to Preston, it would be an infrequent service by rail as it is a single track line, it would probably not be viable anyway and by taking custom off the existing service from Ormskirk at Croston and Rufford would probably make that service unviable if it is viable anyway, it has only been a railcar service until recently anyway.

[sandGroundZero]

Posts regarding the restoration of the Burscough curves on this thread lack imagination. In the short-term, changing patterns of travel will be unimpressive; no doubt. However if the objects are to induce more rail journeys and to integrate and accelerate economic activity, then a longer-term perspective is called for. Improved rail links across the region will produce benefits all around.

Better trains and service on the Southport /Wigan to Manchester line hardly requires mention, for those of us in Southport. A Merseyrail network service connecting Maghull, Town Green, Ormskirk and Southport's Merseyrail Northern line with trains operating clockwise and counterclockwise supported by appropriate bus /rail interchanges would stimulate better economic integration.
I suspect West Lancs. District might be induced to join the Liverpool City Region. [That will annoy one or two posters on this thread! ]

.

[Hamble]

I don't see any point in competing for shoppers when Southport's unique
selling point is the sea coast.

The money would be better spent on attracting tourists in cars in a time when City Centres are not.

New all weather tourist attractions would be top of my list.
Free parking included.

[sandGroundZero]

post #14:
"I don't see any point in competing for shoppers when Southport's unique selling point is the sea coast.
"The money would be better spent on attracting tourists in cars in a time when City Centres are not.
"New all weather tourist attractions would be top of my list. Free parking included."

If Southport's unique selling point is the sea coast, what "New all weather tourist attractions" would entice off-season visitors?
Surely, it is better to aim to diversify the town's economy. The so-called visitor economy is a perennial low-wage, low-skill ambition.