LIVERPOOL CITY REGION - SEFTON

The borough of Sefton is the most northerly of the local authority areas in the Liverpool City Region, covering 15,000 hectares (37,200 acres) between the Mersey and Ribble estuaries.
With a population of around 280,000, Sefton incorporates the classic coastal resort of Southport in the north - and Bootle, Litherland, Netherton and Seaforth (incorporating the Port of Liverpool) in the south.
In-between lie the pleasant suburban areas of Formby, Crosby, Aintree and Maghull, as well as high quality agricultural land and a dune coastline of outstanding scientific importance.

Key facts and features

• The Port of Liverpool, based at Seaforth Docks, is one of the UK's premier trading gateways, handling more than 34 million tonnes each year. It is the largest Freeport Zone in the UK and the top UK port for UK-USA and UK-Canada container trade, as well as offering rapid sea routes to the Far East, Europe and Ireland.
• Home to the 2008 Open Golf Championship at Royal Birkdale as well as numerous other championship golf courses.
• Aintree racecourse is internationally recognised as home of the Grand National, the world's most famous steeplechase.
• The 22 hectare (54 acre) Atlantic Park consists of a 44,000 sq ft Grade A office block and will eventually consist of more than 800,000 sq ft of floor space for office, trade counter and industrial use. Currently home to Sulzer Pumps and Royal London Asset Management, work is underway on refurbishing the former Rolls Royce premises for occupation by potential investors.
• Bootle has a significant office base with several thousand people employed by organisations such as the Health and Safety Executive and Inland Revenue.
• A new four-star Ramada hotel has been built in Southport. The £40million redevelopment of the resort's Floral Hall Gardens to become the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre has seen restaurants, bars, and new conference and exhibition space on the 174,000 sq ft site. The facilities include an impressive 1631 capacity auditorium which can be conveniently reduced for smaller numbers to a capacity of 500.
• Crosby beach is the location of Antony Gormley's spectacular artwork, Another Place, 100 life-size figures installed along 3km of coastline.
• The Sefton coastline is internationally important for nature conservation, taking in 15% of the UK's total dune landscape. It is home to one of the UK's last remaining colonies of red squirrels.