UK's 2nd longest pier to finally reopen in £600bn cash injection boosting Victorian seaside town's economy
After closing in 2022, Southport Pier could be revived after the government promised to prioritise local developments projects in its Spending Review.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the review on June 11, which included a £600 billion cash injection to support the country's infrastructure.
This cash injection aims to expedite a range of locally-significant development projects, including Southport Pier.
It clarifies how day-to-day expenditure will be used in the country, as well as capital spending on transport, schools, community assets and hospitals.
In a speech at the Houses of Parliament, Chancellor Reeves said: "I know the pride that people feel in their communities. I see it everywhere I go, but I also know that for too many people, there is a sense that something has been lost."
She cited the death of the high street as one of the problems facing British towns, alongside a decline in community spaces, jobs and opportunities.
The Spending Review aims to solve some of these problems as Reeves added: "Job creation and community assets are vital to our growth mission, but too often, regeneration projects are held back, gathering dust in bureaucratic limbo. We are changing that."
During the speech, she named Southport Pier as just one of the projects that could benefit.
The government hopes that reopening the pier, which has been shut since 2022, could create jobs and new business opportunities in the local area.
Sefton Council closed the historic pier - which is the second longest in the country - after a period of extreme weather that left structural engineers concerned.
Trendy English seaside town has rooftop bar that 'feels like the Med'
Southport locals were excited at the prospect of a revival of such a culturally significant site for the town.
Local MP Patrick Hurley said: "We've got a commitment from the Chancellor at the dispatch box to support the project. What that support means, in concrete and practical terms, is that there's going to be funding made available to make sure that the pier can be reopened."
Hurley announced that by the end of summer they would have a better understanding of the exact funding, as well as the concrete proposals and timescales that would enable the pier to reopen.
Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, expressed his support for the project.
During a meeting at Lancaster House, Mr Rotheram said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer had given his word that Southport would be included in the development plans.
Mayor Rotheram said: "This hasn't happened by chance.
It's the result of tireless work by people who've never stopped fighting for the town's future."
He credited Councillor Marion Atkinson and MP Hurley as being integral to the project's success, as well as the enthusiasm of Southport locals.
In addition to being Britain's second longest pier, Southport Pier also has an important history.
First opened in 1860, it has hosted famous performers like Charlie Chaplin.
A restoration project between 2000 and 2002 helped to revive the pier and boost the local tourism industry before it closed in 2022.
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