A £14.5m plan to redevelop Southport seafront in Merseyside will include a new hotel, restaurants, bars and a casino.

The redevelopment of the 174,000sq ft Floral Hall Gardens site, which will create 500 jobs, will include a four-star 131-bedroom hotel and conference centre.

No operators have been announced as part of the deal yet but “eminent restaurants and bars” will line a central plaza area.

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council is considering the application and Liverpool-based developer Neptune believes work could be completed by 2008.

A Neptune spokesman said: “We expect the development to enhance the character of the seafront and will increase its attractiveness to visitors and residents on a year-round basis.”

By Tom Bill

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