{"id":765703,"date":"2026-02-15T08:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T08:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/765703\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T08:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T08:08:14","slug":"merseyside-town-set-for-major-economic-boost-as-site-set-for-complete-transformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/765703\/","title":{"rendered":"Merseyside town set for &#8216;major&#8217; economic boost as site set for complete transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The &#8216;incredible plans&#8217; are set to create new job opportunities and apprenticeships<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"High angle view of Southport against sky during sunset\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0_GettyImages-2163645565-1.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"High angle view of Southport against sky during sunset\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">High angle view of Southport against sky during sunset(Image: Colin Flynn \/ 500px \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A Merseyside town is set for a &#8220;major&#8221; economic boost, after plans were revealed for the transformation of a disused and vacant piece of land. Southport Business Park has long been vacant, but a family business from the seaside town, is aiming to deliver &#8220;incredible plans&#8221; which will create new job opportunities, apprenticeships and economic growth, according to Sefton Council.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">With support from the local authority\u2019s <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/sefton-council\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Business and Regeneration team<\/a>, EFT Group Ltd are set to relocate to the disused <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/southport\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">Southport<\/a> Business Park, with the council granting a 999-year lease on plots F, G and H. The council said the next stage of the project involves \u2018stringent planning processes\u2019, which have already begun.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">EFT Group specialises in life safety, security and construction services and has <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/economy\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">grown significantly<\/a> in recent years. The company has committed to staying in Southport, where it employs a large local workforce and supports school-based apprenticeship schemes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The council said Southport Business Park has <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/regeneration\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">remained undeveloped<\/a> for more than a decade, due to &#8220;challenging ground conditions&#8221; and the absence of government funding. Recently Cllr Marion Atkinson, Leader of <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/sefton\" rel=\"follow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Sefton<\/a> Council, joined company directors Adam Watts and Stewart Meechan for the official unveiling of the new EFT Global headquarters.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Artist's impression of what the site may look like\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0_unnamed.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Artist's impression of what the site may look like\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Artist&#8217;s impression of what the site may look like<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">She said: \u201cThis move represents yet another major step forward for Southport\u2019s economic future and I must commend our Business, Regeneration and Planning officers for working alongside EFT Group to help them get to this vitally important stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cNot only will we retain a thriving local business but we\u2019ll also bring new life to a site that has been underused for far too long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cEFT Group\u2019s investment will create high-quality jobs and opportunities for residents while demonstrating our commitment to supporting homegrown businesses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cBy encouraging businesses to invest locally, provide apprenticeships and create meaningful employment, we doing everything we can to secure the long term economic recovery and improvement of Southport and Sefton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cBusinesses recognise what an incredible platform this part of the Liverpool City Region can be for their own growth and for us it helps keep amazing talent in our borough, supports our care experienced young people into work and ultimately builds a stronger future for everyone in Sefton.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Jordan Duggan, Co-Director of EFT Group, added: \u201cAs a local family company, we are proud of our roots in Southport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cThis development reflects our commitment to the area and our belief in its future, with this investment EFT Group is firmly bedding our roots into Southport for the next 50 years, creating a lasting base for our business, our employees and the next generation of workers across Sefton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cWe look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders, the local authority and the community as this exciting project progresses.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The proposal will now be debated at a future meeting of Sefton Council\u2019s independent Planning Committee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Ensure our latest news and what&#8217;s on headlines always appear at the top of your Google search by making us a preferred source. <a aria-label=\"Click here to activate Link opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=liverpoolecho.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to activate <\/a>or add us as a preferred source in your Google search settings.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The &#8216;incredible plans&#8217; are set to create new job opportunities and apprenticeships High angle view of Southport against&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":765704,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,1700,393,4884,179,285,12147,12459,12460,109546,371,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-765703","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-economy","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-liverpool","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-regeneration","15":"tag-sefton","16":"tag-sefton-council","17":"tag-sefton-council-leader","18":"tag-southport","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/765704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}