BRINGING YOUNG PEOPLE BACK INTO TOWN - Housing Company Should Be Catalyst for Southport Town Centre Revival

A proposal to require the local Council's very own Housing Company (Sandway Homes) to help bring young people back to our town centre has been put forward by local Lib Dems.

At the Council's Budget meeting tonight, Town Centre councillor and local Lib Dem leader Dr John Pugh will be putting forward his bid to stimulate the creation of quality residential property in the heart of Southport's troubled town centre.

The aim is to bring vitality and youth into the very heart of the retail sector - particularly Lord Street.

According to Councillor Pugh:

"Lord Street has huge potential in the unused accommodation ABOVE shops that would be ideal for young people renting or starting on the housing ladder."

"In addition, there are redundant shop units at the far ends which could be turned into bespoke apartments."

"It's not a new idea to reduce the retail footprint as Lord Street has always been part residential. What has been lacking hitherto is the resource to do the hard work of site assembly, marketing and negotiation with Lord St’s multiple owners. That, though, is precisely what a properly staffed and skilled housing company can do. They can buy up leases, adapt property and build."

"Although a 'stand alone' company, Sefton Council's housing development company is owned by the council and has to align itself with the Council’s priorities. And it is a Council priority to provide more affordable homes particularly for young people."

"More people in general resident in the town centre means more natural footfall for the existing shops and more life in the town. Added to which, it cuts down the need to build on green space elsewhere in the town."

"Our suggestion is such an obvious move, we would hope for all-party support."

I remember about 20 -25 years ago. The council offered the owners of the shops, on Lord Street, grants to convert the upper empty rooms above the shops into flats.

The idea disappeared.

Our Lib Dem’s have been out of touch and out of deliverable ideas. The Lib Dem’s in the MP and councillor roles have over the years received hundreds of thousands of pounds in salaries and expenses with no tangible output for the town so why trust them to do anything to solve Southport reported decline now.

The elections in May, which I’m sure the recent influx of stories from the libs are targeted to, could be the start of the change of giving others a chance to succeed where they have failed.