Plans for a 48-storey ‘Tower of Hope’ announced for Southport

In July this year it was reported that one of Southport’s most iconic landmarks, The Grand, a grade II listed property, sitting proudly on the historic high street of Lord Street is set to be brought back to its former grand status by The Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group.

With work having already started on phase one, the plans for the site have literally reached for the stars with grand designs to build one of the North-West’s tallest buildings complimenting the look of the art-modern design of the fabulous former Grand Casino.

The tower is set to stand 48 Stories high at an impressive 178 Metres tall and will not only house over 140 high-quality 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom residential apartments but will also feature a restaurant, 109, 5 Star Hotel rooms, an amazing wedding venue, a new and exciting fun themed bar along with a substantial car park for those visiting and staying in the amazing seaside town of Southport.

The hotel group is keen to promote Social Health and Wellbeing so will also be providing a health and wellbeing centre for the local community, an amazing state of the art gym and spa, along with providing green spaces for exercise and community activities, which will help people with both physical and mental health needs.

The tower is expected to attract many tourists, creating a huge number of jobs, helping all the small local businesses to thrive, thus hugely improving the economy of the local area but to also bring a new generation of people looking to live and work in Southport which will only have a positive effect on the area. We expect property both commercial and domestic house prices to significantly increase in the area due to further demand with the increase in tourism.

Andrew Mikhail, Chairman of Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group, explains where his idea for the ambitious plans arose and how Andrew came up with the name ‘Tower of Hope’.

He goes on to say:

“I understand if we all get this off the ground it will be the single biggest project that will have come to Southport since anyone can remember. New York City started with a single brick once upon a time as did London and every major city and town, we need to cherish our past and we should be building our own future so other generations can bask in our glory rather keep talking and referring to our past continuously. A great philosopher one said, “The secret of change is to focus all your energy on not fighting the old but on building the new.”

“In the early part of 2021 I, like many others, contracted COVID 19, causing me to spend over 4 months in intensive care, not expecting to survive. I was one of the lucky ones who did survive, thanks to the hope & faith of those closest to me including my family, friends and the incredible nurses and doctors. Their support was relentless, refusing to give up on me.

Hope and sheer determination got me through and has given me a second chance at life, for which I am sincerely grateful. The Tower of Hope will be built as a symbol for every single member of the NHS that helped the country stay on its feet and those that have tragically died and families that have sadly lost loved ones in this shocking pandemic where so many people and businesses have been at the point in life where the only thing left for them is hope and prayers.”

Andrew continues: “I want this to be a true sign that we shouldn’t give up and that better things will come, I hope that people will look up, see the Tower of Hope and realise, that anything is possible.” He continues, “Sometimes taking a few steps back, will actually move you ahead much further and faster. It allows you to reassess, clear your mind, and catch your breath for the big plans about to unfold for you. The plans for this landmark building incorporating The Grand Casino will connect the past, present and future of Southport together. My aim is to build phase 1 and the hotel then any profits proceeding the sales of apartments will ALL go to a charity or charities of the local people’s choice.

The Mikhail Group already own some of Southport’s most striking and favourite venues including The Bold Hotel, Lord Street Hotel, Punch Tarmey’s Irish Pub, Lord Street Sports Bar and is also the operator of the fabulous new development at Southport Market.

Andrew Mikhail has worked closely with Sefton Council on previous local projects and intends to work with them again to ensure that the plans for the tower meet the needs of the area, Andrew goes on to say, “I’m proud to continue to invest in Southport, having already invested millions into our current developments in Southport’s Northern Quarter I can’t thank Sefton Council enough, for all their help in achieving the first two phases of this investment which has given me the confidence to carry on and we are looking forward to sitting down with all the relevant parties at Sefton Council and getting this final and largest phase over the line.

The recent Town Deal funding announcement has been a great boost for Southport and on the back of those funds hopefully more investments will flood into Southport like the one we are proposing now. The council anticipates over £400m of private sector investment following their Town Deal schemes and The Tower of Hope will be a major contributor to this, further stimulating the local economy. These are very exciting times for Southport town centre again.”

Plans and further details about the project will be available to view at an event at The Bold Hotel on a date to be announced soon.

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