The holiday park shut its doors permanently in a shock move in January 2024, with rumours being shared again about the derelict site
Pontins Southport(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Rumours swirled again over the weekend about the use of the empty Merseyside Pontins site, with the local MP now being forced to set the record straight. Over the weekend, several Southport community Facebook groups were awash with rumours stating the site, which has remained empty since January 2024, was being used to house people seeking asylum in the UK.
A video stating thousands of people were due to arrive at the site, along with resurfacing of an old video which the ECHO verified was fake last year, appeared on social media, with Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson now speaking out in a bid to assure residents the empty holiday park was not being used without their knowledge.
Britannia, which signed a 150-year long lease with Sefton Council and has more than 130 of which remaining, told the ECHO earlier this year it had undertaken surveys and land assessments as it assess its options on what to do with the site.
It came following reported conversations between the local authority and the private company over what will come of the park.
Now, Mr Esterson has spoken out on the recent rumours, which were also shared online 13 months ago. He said: “The government has no plans to use the Pontins site to accommodate asylum seekers. Claims circulating online and in videos suggesting otherwise are inaccurate and deliberately misleading.
“I have had discussions with Britannia. Their focus has been entirely on the long-term redevelopment of the site and the work needed to keep it secure. At no stage have they indicated that accommodation for asylum seekers forms any part of their plans.”
Work is ongoing at Ainsdale beach where the derelict Toad Hall is expected to be demolished to make way for a car park.
Mr Esterson continued to state plans for the empty Sands pub are underway which will help change the look of the area.
He added: “The government’s actions to reduce small boat crossings are an indication that Pontins really is not being considered as a location for housing asylum seekers as fewer places are needed.
“Since the Labour government was elected, net migration has fallen by 82%. Small boat crossings are down by 38% this year and more than 67,000 people with no legal right to remain in the UK have been removed.”
The latest tranche of rumours online appeared more than a year after videos were shared on X allegedly showing asylum seekers entering the park via the beach, with the videos shared shortly after the Home Office made a U-turn on its plans to allegedly takeover control of the holiday park.
It was previously reported by the ECHO how the Home Office had approached Sefton Council about the use of the site.
The ECHO was able to confirm at the time how the park was not being used, with the park currently empty.
In January this year, the ECHO reported on a Sefton Council update about the ongoing closure of the Pontins, including comments from Cllr Paulette Lappin, cabinet member for regeneration, skills and employment, who said the local authority will continue discussions with Britannia.
Cllr Lappin added: “In the interim we’ll do some market testing to see what ideas potential investors may have for the site alongside the wider coastal gateway if the current leaseholders aren’t interested in doing something of benefit for the local community.”
In February, the ECHO was made aware of reports of police officers and police dogs seen navigating their way around the Pontins Southport site, with suggestions the area was being used for training exercises. This was later confirmed by Merseyside Police.
A spokesperson for Britannia Hotels Group said in April this year: “Following their closure, we have been undertaking a series of surveys and land assessments for our three vacant Pontins sites to determine what future uses may be viable.
“As part of this process, we have appointed a planning consultancy to develop pre-planning applications for consideration by the respective local authorities.
“These proposals include the potential demolition of the aged chalets and options for their replacement, reflecting evolving guest expectations and the long-term sustainability of the sites.
“In the meantime, as a gesture of goodwill, we have made all sites available to local emergency services, who have been using them for training exercises while they remain unoccupied.
“Our priority is to secure positive long-term outcomes for all sites and we will provide further updates as our plans progress.”
In January 2024, Pontins shut the doors of the park permanently in a sudden move that shocked Ainsdale. The ECHO spoke to people in the community last year about how the village was coping with the loss 12 months on.
The ECHO visited Ainsdale last year to speak to people living and working in the area about how the village was coping a year on from the closure.
Lorraine Griffin, resident of the village for more than 30 years and employee at The Chocolate Box newsagents, said: “I work and live in the village and have done for more than 30 years.
”It’s a shame really because it did bring people into the town and into the village. It helped the shop too because we sell buckets and spades, sweets for the kids, so it did bring people into the shop, but having said that the shop is doing well without it.”
Lorraine explained how the village, which is sandwiched between Birkdale and Formby, is thriving and has seen redevelopment since Pontins’ closure.