Southport Cove
An artists impression…
Southport is going to have a wavepool.
Go Surf is set to create ‘Southport Cove Resort’, described as ‘an exciting, new, all year-round attraction with a world class surf wave pool’ at Princes Park on the seafront.
The project will also include water-based wellness, spa, restaurant & cafés and indoor leisure facilities.
A 250m long beach will sit beside a wave generator capable of germinating waves ‘over 2 metres’.
Councillor Marion Atkinson said “When we were doing the consultation around the Southport Town Deal it was clear that many people still had memories of the Lido in Southport. This project will, in many ways, bring back a viable facility with all year-round broad visitor appeal, and strike a balance between the memory of this well-loved former attraction and a new, modern, family-oriented offer that will be unique to the region.”
It is hoped that the project will create 120 new jobs and more £20 million extra cash to the local economy with 150,000 visits a year and cost £40 million.
Go Surf said: “Southport’s location and existing facilities lend themselves perfectly to the town becoming a true haven for water sports, indoor and outdoor attractions, and wellness. The town benefits greatly from the successful integration of its town centre, marine lake and seafront.
The plans will be submitted as part of Southport’s Town Deal bid for part of the government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund.
Details on tech are scant, but Wavepool mag recognised the drawings as WhiteWaters Endless surf” machine. Whitewater made Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, in 1989 and produce Flowriders and parks like Sunway Lagoon Water Park.
“Our reliable pneumatic technology creates endless rolling sets, designed for operational success; being flexible, high capacity, and above all else, safe,” says Paul Chutter, Chief Business Development Officer of WhiteWater.
“Endless Surf is a surfer’s dream of on-demand waves. Its organic, heart-shaped pool design is scalable in size, with a width of up to 300-meters (1,000-feet) in a 2-hectare (5-acre) pool and can provide up to a 26 second end-to-end ride. Patent protected proprietary programming, accessed through its Wave Doctor interface, gives the operator the control to change the wave pattern in real-time based on the session requirements and guests in the pool. Importantly, Endless Surf can run multiple wave types at one time so that beginners, intermediates, and experts can surf alongside each other, providing huge operational flexibility.”
