I've been credited with reviving Merseyside seaside resort New Brighton now i'm stepping back

Dan Davies has been a dominant figure in New Brighton for the past seven and a half years after he sold his business, CPL Training Group, for millions and began investing that money and help from others to buy up pubs and shops on Victoria Road. The road has been described as empty and derelict before this, but now it is the centre of a number of popular bars, restaurants, and other businesses.

The area is sometimes compared to Lark Lane in Liverpool and has been the base where bands like the Mysterines have launched their careers. Where a lot of high streets have gone backwards with more and more shops closing, many see Victoria Road heading in the other direction.

Looking back, Mr Davies said they had founded Rockpoint Leisure to regenerate at a community level, backing independents and hiring artists to do murals now dotted around the resort, adding: “We wanted to create an ecosystem that attracted talent, retained talent, and championed independent businesses.”

Mr Davies, who has also been the chairman of the Institute of Licensing and spoken in Parliament on the future of seaside towns, said: “You can’t regenerate a place behind a desk; you can’t regenerate a place remotely. This wasn’t about me running a few businesses.

“This was trying to change the fortunes of the place I grew up in, and it used to p*** me off every time I came back from London seeing it go down and down. Seven and a half years later, it’s working.

“100% of the road is occupied, and you have only got to look at pictures from seven years ago and now to see the difference.”

He added: “New Brighton is doing a damn sight better now than it would have done if we hadn’t intervened. I think a lot of this road would be completely gone forever. Half of it had already gone.

“High streets have been in terminal decline for a long time. You’ve only got to drive from where we are now to Wallasey Town Hall, and you will see what happens when you don’t have a plan, when there’s no placemaking, and there’s no thought.

“You then get a mismatch of shops and boarding up frontages that have been turned into residential, often poor quality. It’s not just around here; it’s the length and breadth of the country.”

Now Mr Davies is planning to step back from the project he has been pursuing since 2017. Though he said there was no risk of liquidation, the LDRS recently reported on legal action brought by HMRC against Rockpoint Leisure over unpaid taxes.

After the impact on business due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, a cancer diagnosis in 2022, and the recent issues with HMRC, he is stepping back, as things have been difficult for him personally, telling the LDRS: “I have come to a very hard decision that I have taken New Brighton with what I’ve got as far as I can at this moment.

“I have put my house on the market, and what I have been doing over the last few years is selling everything I can personally to prop this up. I am running out of things to sell.”

He said he was planning to sell a number of assets, including some properties on Victoria Road, and had cashed his pension in, adding: “I will always champion New Brighton.

“I will never not fight for New Brighton, but the reality is I need to pass the baton on and give the opportunity for the people who live in New Brighton, the people who think it’s worth fighting for, to take over. I also need to draw a line in the sand where I can move on and back New Brighton at a higher level.

“I’m proud of the fact we’ve proved you can turn a high street around and you can get it open and you can get it vibrant. I’ve had to spend a lot of money on things I do not own.”

Visibly emotional, he added: “Every single builder, plumber, electrician, everyone lives off these streets. Being proud of where you live is one of the most important things.

“Who wouldn’t want to be proud of where they live? It gives you a better start as well in life if you are living in an area where you have got some opportunity and pride. You don’t just exist.”

Due to Mr Davies’ high profile figure, he has also attracted a lot of criticism too. He said: “A bit of scepticism isn’t a bad thing. When we started, people were going “Oh, who’s this guy coming in?” Over the passage of time, we’ve been visible; I’m here day and night, and we have tried to listen and drive things from the street level up.

“I spent a disproportionate amount of time on things I’m not getting paid to do. On a daily basis, you end up giving a lot of things that are important to deal with and giving up a lot of time. It’s not just me.

“We are dealing with a lot of issues that are a sign of the times we live in. I can be a p***k sometimes, but it’s through frustration – frustration when things that are so obvious get left or we get messed around.

“It was that much of an affront to me to see this place going downhill. It’s very easy to be a critic. It’s a damn sight harder to be an author. I’d do it again, but I’d do it differently.”

Going forward, he has concerns about the future of the properties he is looking to sell, which won’t include the James Atherton, Rockpoint Records, and Habibi. The properties up for sale will be going in an auction on July 24.

He wants to see the council protect the unique nature of Victoria Road, including its arts and cultural scene, and wants to keep working with the local authority’s new leadership to build on this with further support. While he has previously hit out at the council over what he has seen as a lack of support, Mr Davies said he believed a more positive relationship could be found going forward.

A recent regeneration committee meeting he described as “a breath of fresh air” with cross-party positivity, and he believed there was “an opportunity to really start backing and supporting what we have done.” He pointed to the recently set-up New Brighton Partnership as well as the support of Jayne Casey, who is credited with establishing the Baltic Triangle.

He believes the council’s new leader, Cllr Paula Basnett, recognises the need for “a seismic change”, adding: “I am positive about New Brighton’s future. I think this could be the wake-up call and slap in the face the council needs.

“Paula has the ability. I have known Paula for 30 years, and I think if she focuses on making some big changes quickly, I think we could really turn around New Brighton, and I think New Brighton has a massive positive future, and I will help any way I can.”