Work to demolish a former Homebase has finally begun.
The derelict building on Meols Cop Retail Park in Southport has been empty since 2017, with a planning application for the site first being lodged in 2015. Due to a number of legal challenges against the proposals it was only confirmed by Sefton Council in June that the work would begin in the weeks that followed.
After the plans were initially referred to a High Court ruling, the site will become a Sainsbury's store and petrol station, just yards from an Aldi, Home Bargains and Tesco Extra. The approval of the application came with non-negotiable conditions, with the main condition being that Sainsbury's is not permitted to its store on St. George's Place in Southport town centre for at least four years after the Meols Cop store opens.
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Sainsbury's initially received planning permission to demolish the building and build a 60,000 sqft store and petrol station in 2017 but the application was highly contentious and only approved after a five-day public inquiry which was called for by then Southport MP John Pugh. Sefton Council confirmed to the ECHO earlier this year that following two legal challenges to this particular planning application ended in June.
The retail park was initially separated as builders moved onto the site, with the unit now being in the process of being demolished ahead of the work beginning to build the store and petrol station.
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