In 2020 the Southport Town Deal set an aim of diversifying the economy to retain young people and look beyond the seasonal economy for growth. The BID consulted Manchester academic, Dr Eric Lybeck, to explore application of his prize-winning plans to reactivate so-called ‘left-behind’ towns through creative placemaking.

The Engine Room in Unit 44 of the historic Wayfarer’s Arcade, a former dance studio, provides a pilot for the idea that we can use empty spaces, especially retail and High Street units, to spark change and innovation.

An American sociologist, who moved to the UK in 2011 and to Southport in 2021, Lybeck’s approach to reversing trends in Southport is rooted in his civic ecology approach. The essential idea behind this is that there are 6 relevant ecologies - material, work, learning, culture, funding, and governance – in any place. For regeneration to proceed effectively these needs to be in relative alignment. Where misalignment is in evidence or certain ecologies are dormant or stagnant, strategies need to be developed to kickstart development of new ‘hinge’ projects that would solve multiple problems at once, thereby reinforcing future re-alignment.

The Engine Room is one such ‘hinge’, where we would activate then use the tremendous material asset of the Wayfarers to align the activities and aims of local schools, businesses, cultural institutions and local governments. Through shared activities, like events, co-working, courses, demonstrations, meetings, socialising and so on, we can create an atmosphere where young people feel connected to the opportunities there are in town, whilst the entire community comes together to make new and exciting things happen in our corner of the world.

More detail, including architectural drawings of The Engine Room space available HERE.