The architectural firm Fletcher-Rae has announced plans to add a hotel on to Southport’s Marble Place Shopping Centre. The new development was approved by Sefton Council on March 8th, and hopefully will create new jobs as well as bring more revenue to the Southport area. The development is set to cost £7 million and the finished hotel will have 96 bedrooms, a lobby area, a restaurant and kitchen. There will also be space for ancillary accommodation.
The owner of the Shopping Centre, Humber Investments Limited, will fund the development that had been designed and put through the planning process by Fletcher-Rae’s architects. The Manchester based Architectural firm will also be pushing the plans forward.
The new addition has been planned by Fletcher-Rae in a way that construction will not prevent the Marble Place Shopping Centre from opening. The proposal will allow shops to stay open, but will make sure that the shopping centre is safe for customers throughout the construction. The development is set to last 15-18 months. The hotel will be on the east side of the Marble Place Shopping Centre, located between Tulketh and Chapel Street.
Marble Place Shopping Centre was built in 1992, and there are more plans to revive the Shopping Centre. The plans for further development include a redesigning of the roof as well as improving the construction and reinstating a number of retail units along Tulketh Street.
Fletcher-Rae have used inspiration for the hotel’s surroundings in their design. These factors include using a dark but multi-tone brickwork to the exterior of the new hotel, so it blends in with the surrounding buildings. This brickwork will be partnered with dark window frames. There will also be a buff brick section of the façade to highlight the exterior. It is hoped that this addition has been designed to make the Shopping Centre stand out without being too conspicuous. The hotel could be completed by Summer 2018.
