Pub on Lord Street to become town-centre hotel
JD Wetherspoon has published the first image and fresh details of its planned hotel on Lord Street, announcing a £5 million investment to convert the historic Pavilion Building at 93–97 Lord Street into a 29-bedroom hotel.
The scheme would retain the existing Sir Henry Segrave pub on the ground floor while converting the upper floors to provide 28 en-suite hotel rooms plus the public bar. The company says the project will deliver "high-quality hotel accommodation and improved hospitality facilities" in the heart of Southport.
What the proposal includes
- Conversion of upper floors at 93–97 Lord Street to provide 28 en-suite rooms.
- Refurbishment of the Sir Henry Segrave pub on the ground floor.
- Upgraded external customer space: new landscaping, accessible seating and planters while keeping the existing mature tree.
- Improvements to visual amenity and biodiversity in the Lord Street Conservation Area.
The new submission, prepared by Just-H Architects, follows planning permission granted in September 2024 for works to the property. It proposes to formalise and upgrade the grass verge in front of the pub into an outdoor dining area with free-standing furniture and planter beds. The design specifically keeps the mature tree on site.
“The scheme aims to create and formalise an external customer area with landscaping and accessibility improvements together with the refurbishment and conversion of the upper floors to provide hotel accommodation.”
Timing and local context
Wetherspoon said the investment is being made in anticipation of Southport’s wider cultural and leisure projects, most notably the £106 million Marine Lake Events Centre and the Light Fantastic programme on the Marine Lake, where contractors AE Yates are already on site.
Local regeneration has been gathering pace, and this proposal is being pitched as complementing the larger scheme by increasing town-centre accommodation and boosting hospitality capacity ahead of the new events centre opening.
Heritage and conservation considerations
The building sits within the Lord Street Conservation Area. The applicant’s documents stress that the scheme supports sustainable development, promotes town-centre vitality and aims to protect heritage assets.
Proposals include accessibility improvements to the external area, new planting to improve biodiversity, and retention of architectural features already recognised by earlier approvals for works to the premises.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | JD Wetherspoon |
| Location | 93–97 Lord Street, Southport |
| Investment | £5 million |
| Rooms | 29 bedrooms (28 en-suite on upper floors) |
| Related development | Marine Lake Events Centre (£106 million) |
This is the latest iteration of a project that has moved through earlier planning stages. The company has now refined proposals to enhance the public realm immediately outside the pub and to increase the hotel offer in the town centre.
For Southport residents this scheme is notable for a few reasons: it converts a long-standing town-centre pub into a mixed-use hospitality building rather than a wholesale change of use; it promises publicly accessible improvements to the street frontage; and it arrives alongside large-scale public investment in the Marine Lake that is expected to attract more visitors to the town.
Local authorities and conservation officers will now consider the detailed submission and its impact on the conservation area before any final approvals are granted. The timeline for works, including any start date and completion, has not been specified in the material released with the plans.
For shoppers, residents and traders on Lord Street, the proposal will be a familiar type of town-centre regeneration — private investment orientated towards the visitor economy, with attention to landscaping and accessibility in a conservation setting. How the scheme sits alongside long-term plans for the Marine Lake area will be watched closely by people who want to see Southport revitalised without losing its character.
