Beales Closure: The Latest Blow to Southport's Deteriorating Retail Scene

The closure of Beales announced this week is another hammer blow to Lord St and the town centre claim local Liberal Democrats. Beale’s closure is the latest in a line of big closures with the BHS building in Chapel St and Debenhams in Lord St as reminders of Southport’s retail decline. Following the opening of their out of town store, Sainsburys’ are destined to withdraw too.

“There is simply no plan to protect Lord St,” says opposition leader Cllr John Pugh, " and no funding to address the decline. What was once a legendary asset for the town is now neglected. No council time or officer energy is going into maintaining a quality retail offer.

The Liberal Democrat candidate in the forthcoming general election Erin Harvey who is campaigning to abolish the current business rates system accuses the Labour-run Council of losing focus.

"Council investment is pouring into the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle but, with all due respect, it is not a heritage asset at risk like Lord St.”,  she says.

 “There seems to be a terribly naive assumption that Sefton’s planned £73M on a new lakeside events centre to replace the Theatre and Floral Hall complex will be a silver bullet for the town”

That’s not how other seaside towns have pursued regeneration. In Margate,  somewhere which also received Town Deal money from the government, they linked investment projects with boosting the retail sector and attracting quality, independent retailers. 

Over 15 years ago Sefton considered stimulating residential development above shops, guaranteeing a permanent footfall in the town centre. 

“There is much we can do to do save Lord St for future generations,” says Cllr Pugh , “including the use of compulsory purchase powers and making owners maintain the verandahs and canopies has simply been parked. 

There is no up to date retail survey done of town centre business , but out of town developments are waved through.”

"It’s a really hard task reviving Lord St. It’s piecemeal, time-consuming and difficult but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. It is tragic though that the current Sefton administration seem to be turning a blind eye to the problem.”