Southport, a classic resort and seaside town on England’s north-west coast, is often referred to as the Paris of the north. The soubriquet was applied because of the splendid Victorian verandas that to this day line many shopfronts that run the length of Lord Street, the main thoroughfare, and which are said to have inspired Prince Louis Napoleon to create the Champs-Elysées in its image.
Today, while revering its heritage, Southport looks to the future rather than the past for its inspiration. A beneficiary of Liverpool’s reign as the 2008 joint European Capital of Culture, the town has seen several civic and commercial projects rise from the ground in the past half-decade.
The almost three-quarter-mile-long, grade II-listed pier has been redeveloped with financing from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Merseyside Objective. The revitalised version largely eschews the low-brow “end-of-pier” mentality that embraces other seaside resorts, such as nearby Blackpool, which is 40 miles up the coast.
Other civic projects recently completed include the new Marine Way Bridge, which links the promenade with the seafront via the Marine Gardens and features a striking ornamental prow and steel cables resembling a ship’s rigging. On the South Promenade, adjacent to the bridge, the new Floral Hall complex houses a modern exhibition centre, the Southport Theatre and a hotel.
The regeneration is set to continue apace. Under Sea Change, a government-backed initiative led by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment that aims to improve seafront resorts across the country, Southport is set to receive £4m to help create a new cultural centre from its grade II-listed arts centre, library and art gallery. The proposals include an improved theatre, museum and music venue.
“Southport has already benefited from a substantial regeneration effort,” Danny Withall of Oakleys Estate Agents says. “These further proposals to enhance the cultural centre can only be of benefit to the area and could work to boost the local housing market.”
House prices in the area have fallen sharply in the past 12 months. According to independent property portal Zoopla.com, which takes its statistics from a broad range of data points including the UK’s Land Registry, values have decreased by an average of £27,558 (or 14 per cent) in the past year. The average house price is £167,422, which is slightly higher than the national average of £153,862.
“As with most towns throughout the UK, the Southport housing market has been hit by the economic downturn, with overall sales down significantly last year,” Steven Lees of online estate agency network Email4property.co.uk says. “However, the improvements made to Lord Street and the promenade and the government’s announcement of the Sea Change funding have undoubtedly boosted Southport’s attraction and are helping to bring in a new wave of visitors.”
Another boost came last July with the opening of the town’s first boutique hotel, The Vincent, which is winning Southport attention by attracting high-spending celebrities such as Manchester United and England footballer Wayne Rooney. Liverpool Football Club captain Steven Gerrard lives in nearby Formby while former team manager Kenny Dalglish lives in Birkdale, as does BBC television pundit Alan Hansen.
Birkdale is centred around a traditional village chock-full of independent shops, approximately one mile from Southport town centre, and bordering the sand dunes and beach. The neighbourhood is home to grand avenues and large red-brick mansion houses. Estate agency Ball & Percival is selling a five-bedroom detached house in Waterloo Road at £1.2m. Nearby in Grosvenor Road, Oakleys has a modern four-bedroom detached house priced at £249,500.
Steve Travis, who moved to Southport from London several years ago, says: “Having lived in London and not been able to afford a place with a garden and space for our growing family, we found that moving to Southport suited us perfectly: a big house for not silly money, great schools, on a much underrated coast, close to the Lake District [national park], with loads to do for kids. Sammy, my 11-year-old son, says there’s no better place.”
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Estate agencies
Ball & Percival, tel: (0)1704-536 900, www.ball-percival.co.uk
Oakleys, tel: (0)1704-548 777, www.oakleysltd.co.uk
