Vinci named as new replacement contractor for £73m Southport events centre job

Sefton Council has named Vinci Building as its preferred contractor to deliver the Marine Lake Events Centre (MLEC) in Southport, more than two years after procurement for the project began.

Vinci will enter into a pre-construction services agreement (PCSA) while the council finalises the scheme’s design and contract details.

Sefton Council leader Marion Atkinson said the firm “shares our vision and commitment to deliver this complex and ambitious scheme successfully”.

Main construction works are due to begin in late 2026, the council said on Monday (26 January).

The £73m project will deliver a 1,200-seat theatre and events space, with additional exhibition and production facilities on a 10,300 square metre site.

MLEC will be built on the site of the former Southport Theatre and Convention Centre, which has now been demolished.

Initial civils work is expected to start next month, including installation of a new access ramp from the Upper Promenade.

Sheet piling, retaining walls and excavations have already been completed.

Liverpool-based DSM was previously appointed to carry out demolition and enabling works.

Sefton Council is the client, and AFL Architects is designing the project.

Cost consultant Gardiner & Theobald is advising on programme and costings.

The scheme is being funded with £37.5m from central government through the Town Deal, with the balance from council and private sources.

Planning consent for the events centre was granted in April 2023.

The project includes a water and light show on Marine Lake and forms part of Southport’s wider Town Deal regeneration plan.

MLEC could attract more than 500,000 visitors a year and boost the local economy by £19m annually, according to the council.

Vinci’s appointment follows a protracted procurement process in which two previously selected bidders – first Kier and then Graham – withdrew.

Sefton selected Kier in 2023 under a PCSA but commercial negotiations ended without a contract.

Graham stepped in early last year but pulled out last September.

The council said that the contractor “confirmed that it will not build to the agreed details on MLEC”, despite having helped carry out detailed cost work and RIBA Stage Four design work.

Vinci is also delivering Sefton Council’s Bootle Strand regeneration scheme, which data intelligence provider Glenigan values at £20m.

Source: Sefton Council announcement