The Engine Room

Problem

The Wayfarers Arcade in Southport suffers from long-term decline, high vacancy rates, and a lack of accessible civic space for learning, work and community activity. Local creatives, students, and residents lack affordable, calm, inclusive places to gather, develop skills, and participate in regeneration efforts. The Engine Room addresses this civic and spatial gap.

Solution

The Engine Room restores the historic Wayfarers Arcade as a living civic space by combining creative enterprise, community learning, and place-based regeneration. As a Community Interest Company, it provides an accessible hub for co-working, gentle making, workshops, and heritage skills development, allowing residents, students, and professionals to gather in a calm, inclusive environment. The space hosts low-cost and free activities—from micro-workshops to community groups—removing barriers to participation while strengthening local networks.

Drawing on research from the University of Manchester, the project pilots new models of civic education, creative entrepreneurship, and community wealth building in a town centre facing commercial decline. It supports the development of local talent, fosters new micro-businesses, and catalyses collaboration across cultural, educational, and voluntary sectors. By activating unused space and promoting sustainable forms of work, learning, and cultural activity, the Engine Room contributes to the long-term regeneration of the arcade and the wider town.

Sustainable Development Goals addressed

Some facts:

• Though not intended, interestingly, 80% of Engine Room coworking members are women.
• Southport’s 18-40 yr old population goes to 8% of the national average, with 50% of the population aged 60 or above.

THE ARCADE PROJECT Creative hub launches in Southport