New theatres in Southport and Prescot feature in Liverpool region’s recovery strategy

Two new theatres are at the heart of an economic recovery plan for the whole of Liverpool City Region. The 'Building Back Better' plan sets out how £1.4bn in investment could unlock £8.8bn of projects to begin in the next 12 months.

"40 fully-costed, shovel-ready interventions, which would create more than 120,000 jobs in total" have been identified in the plan.

These include a £70m project to develop a Southport Theatre and Convention Centre to replace existing facilities, which the plan's backers say will add £25m per annum to the local economy and transform the town centre, culminating in a new ‘Southport Square’.

Shakespeare North Playhouse, already being built in Prescot and opening in 2022, will be a flexible theatre with capacity for between 320 and 472 seats. A further £3m is now needed to secure the project’s construction delivery.

Read also: Shakespeare North gets the go-ahead