'It'll be a place of joy, hope & community'

SEFTON Council will formally approve plans for £10m legacy gardens announced by the families of the three schoolgirls killed in Southport last year.

- By DAVID HUMPHREYS

Expected to be finalised in 2027, the local authority will rubber stamp the proposals for a reimagining of the Town Hall Gardens outside Southport Town Hall and The Atkinson theatre later this week.

The families of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar met Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month in 10 Downing Street to discuss the plans which will include the transformation of the space where thousands gathered for a moving vigil the day after the attack on July 29 2025.

Six-year-old Bebe, seven-year-old Elsie and Alice, nine, were killed in an horrific knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

Eight other children and two adults were also injured.

When the borough council convenes on Thursday, members will be asked to give their final sign-off for the plans, which are expected to be completed in two years’ time.