A specialised construction and refurbishment team from Merseyside has been tasked by Sefton Council with spearheading the development of Southport’s brand-new Enterprise Arcade.
Through a partnership with the Liverpool company Skyline Property Solutions Ltd., they will take the lead on Crown Buildings’ interior renovation and transformation into the eagerly awaited Enterprise Arcade.
The Enterprise Arcade, which will be the town’s first creative and digitally-focused space for start-up and expanding businesses and entrepreneurs, is situated on Eastbank Street in Southport.
Prominent digital specialist Jon Corner from the North West, who facilitated the migration of technology sector companies to Media City in Salford, will also be joining the Enterprise Arcade project team.
The project, which will see the Crown Buildings redesigned to create nearly 900 m2 of space for digital and creative start-ups and scale-ups, has been allocated £1.5 million in funding from the Town Deal.
Tenants are anticipated to move into the building by the end of 2024, with work scheduled to start in January of that same year.
The Enterprise Arcade project serves as a reminder of Sefton Council’s and its partners’ dedication to maximising the potential of the resort’s digital, creative, and technological sectors as well as to promoting the borough’s ongoing economic diversification and the development of entrepreneurship in Sefton.
Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council’s Labour Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Skills, said:
“This is a key project for the regeneration and economic diversification of Southport’s economy.
“The Enterprise Arcade will incorporate Crown Buildings and retail units on the ground floor of Eastbank Street.
“The new, repurposed workspace will join Southport’s regenerated and already successful Market in demonstrating how new life can be brought back to these fantastic buildings, encouraging more investment and helping secure a positive future for the town.
“I am pleased that we have been able to identify Skyline as the contractor and I know they will help us deliver a fantastic and thorough refit of Crown Buildings ready for our tenants.
“Our Enterprise Arcade will be the ideal location for a whole host of start-up and growing businesses and individuals, whether they be in the early incubator stages of developing their brand or simply in need of flexibility and an agile approach to their working practices.”
David Castell, who is the owner and managing director of Skyline said:
“Skyline are absolutely delighted to be awarded by Sefton Council the contract to refurbish Crown Building on Eastbank Street Southport to accommodate the new Enterprise Arcade.
“As a proud Southport resident myself I am overjoyed and we are tremendously looking forward to creating this incredible digital space for creatives in the region.”
Jon Corner added:
“My wide-ranging role includes creating a dynamic and innovative relationship with existing technology businesses and start-ups to show them the huge benefits of the Enterprise Arcade both in the short and long term.
“I want to help build Enterprise Arcade up as a catalyst for Southport’s commercial office sector as we move towards a more ‘Creative and Digital District’.
“This work also includes improving the relationships that we have with young people, the education sector and training providers and the council for some time has been speaking with this sector to bring them with us on our journey.
“Our aim is to curate a brilliant business plan and operating model for the Enterprise Arcade making clear its vital role in the continued revitalisations of the Southport town centre and in growing Sefton’s digital economy.”
