A hopeful approach by Sefton Council to the UK National Lottery Heritage Fund seeking £10m towards the restoration of Southport Pier has fallen on stony ground.
The Fund has turned down Sefton’s approach, saying: “The project outline submitted was not something the National Lottery Heritage Fund would be likely to support in its current form.”
That could be interpreted as bad paperwork, of course, and is now the subject of speculation. The National Piers Society, for example, has noted: “Was the council’s application inadequate in background information?
"Is the Fund reluctant to grant more funding on a project having already received funding in 2000? Or is the Fund oversubscribed and not considering applications at the present time?”
The matter is therefore still on the table and time will show whether Sefton can lodge a more formal approach to seek help.
