Illustrative northern English town square at dusk

Area

Regeneration in Sefton

Sefton regeneration news: Bootle's Strand redevelopment and Southport's Marine Lake Events Centre, plus funding and Pride in Place.

Research checked

The place

Sefton's regeneration effort centres on its two largest towns, Bootle and Southport, with further activity across the borough. Bootle town centre is being rebuilt around The Strand and a new public space, Mons Square. Southport's Town Deal is funding the Marine Lake Events Centre on the seafront. Sandway Homes and the newer Sefton Home 2030 alliance bring forward council-owned land for housing.

Who decides and delivers

Sefton Council is the planning authority and works with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which names Bootle and Southport as priority places for regional funding. Bootle South is the borough's only Pride in Place neighbourhood, with its own resident-led board. Sefton Home 2030 pairs the council with the housing association The Sovini Group to deliver affordable and social homes on former school and community sites across Bootle, Netherton, Southport, Seaforth and Formby.

What each edition tracks

Each quarter the briefing tracks delivery at The Strand and the Marine Lake Events Centre, the Sefton Home 2030 pipeline, and the Bootle South Pride in Place plan. This edition's research was checked on 19 September 2026.

Current edition

Q3 2026

As at 19 September 2026

Funding, places and delivery. A briefing for the organisations bringing forward homes and regeneration across Bootle, Southport, Crosby and the rest of Sefton. Research checked 19 September 2026.

Regeneration projects in Sefton

Bootle's town centre is being rebuilt around a refurbished former department store and the new Mons Square public space, with the Salt and Tar events venue trading from alternative sites nearby during construction. In Southport, the Marine Lake Events Centre is replacing the former Theatre site on the seafront, with main contractor VINCI targeting completion by early 2029. Sandway Homes, the council's own development company, is completing its final sites as delivery shifts to the Sefton Home 2030 alliance.

Construction and housing funding in Sefton

Southport's Town Deal funds the Marine Lake Events Centre and other town projects, while Bootle's Strand redevelopment combines a central government grant with Single Investment Fund support from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Bootle South's Pride in Place allocation funds neighbourhood-level projects once its plan is approved. Sefton also receives a UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation, and Sefton Home 2030 pools council land with a housing association's own development pipeline rather than relying on a single grant.

Who decides regeneration in Sefton

Sefton Council is the planning authority across the borough and leads the Strand and Marine Lake Events Centre schemes directly. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority names Bootle and Southport as priority places for regional funding. Bootle South's independently chaired, resident-led board decides local Pride in Place spending, and The Sovini Group is the council's delivery partner for Sefton Home 2030.

Bootle Strand shopping centre and Mons Square Illustrative visualisation, AI-generated; adapted from a photograph by Mike Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0

Questions about regeneration in Sefton

What regeneration is happening in Sefton?
Sefton's largest schemes are the redevelopment of Bootle town centre around The Strand and Mons Square, and Southport's Marine Lake Events Centre on the seafront, both under construction. The council is also winding down its own Sandway Homes company as delivery shifts to the Sefton Home 2030 alliance with housing association The Sovini Group.
How is construction and housing funded in Sefton?
Bootle's Strand scheme combines a central government grant with Single Investment Fund support from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Southport's Town Deal funds the Marine Lake Events Centre. Bootle South, the borough's only Pride in Place neighbourhood, holds its own ten-year funding, and Sefton also receives a UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation.
Who leads regeneration in Sefton?
Sefton Council leads the Strand and Marine Lake Events Centre schemes and is the accountable body for Bootle South's Pride in Place board. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority names Bootle and Southport as regional priority places, and housing association The Sovini Group delivers homes alongside the council through the Sefton Home 2030 alliance.
Cover of the Sefton Planning Handbook

The Sefton handbook

Planning and building-regulations guidance for the area, published separately.

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