Plans to demolish the former Toad Hall hotel and nightclub in Ainsdale, Merseyside, are moving forward. The three-storey brick building, which sits just off Ainsdale beach along Shore Road near Ainsdale Sands Lake, has been vacant for over a decade and is to be levelled to make way for a new car park.
History of the building
Originally constructed in the 1920s, Toad Hall opened as an apartment block and hotel as part of the Ainsdale-on-Sea development. It later became a nightclub before closing in the 1990s. After that, it housed UKHairdressers.com and a printing firm before closing for good in the early 2000s. It has remained vacant since then.
The building neighbours a Green Sefton operational yard, a Pontins holiday park which closed in 2024, and a public car park.
Structural condition and safety
The building is described as “currently vacant and has remained unoccupied for several years with extensive fire damage, storm damage and exposure to extreme coastal weather conditions.”
“As a result of its deteriorated condition and following evidence of illegal entry, the site has been secured with timber hoarding to provide security and safety of the site and complex.”
Independent surveys confirmed a “severe state of disrepair” at the building.
Artwork and future plans
In 2021, the building was covered by the Ainsley & Dale artwork by Paul Curtis. The artwork, known to currently be the biggest painting in the UK created by one person, is a tribute to the rare sand lizards that live along the Sefton coastline.
Future plans for the site point to the land being levelled and prepared for the construction of a new car park, according to Ridge, Sefton Council’s lead advisor on the project. This car park will require a separate planning application.
Ridge’s summary in planning documents says: “Toad Hall has been deemed structurally unsafe and beyond viable restoration”.
The notice was published on October 15, with a site notice posted to the wooden fencing securing the land. Locals will have until November 20 to give representations in support or objection to the demolition. More information can be found about the demolition application on Sefton Council’s planning portal, with the reference DC/2026/01680.
