New cruise liner terminal plans for the port of Liverpool
news10th May 2017
A proposed cruise line on the banks of the Mersey at Princes Parade would provide customers a “five star” experience, Mayor Joe Anderson has pledged.
A team of designers and technical experts are set to be appointed by Liverpool City Council to plan the £50 million landmark complex. An upcoming council cabinet meeting will agree the on appointment of a design team for the proposed terminal in the very near future.
The brief for this massive project includes a passenger and baggage terminal with passport control, lounge, café, washrooms, taxi rank and pick-up point.
It has been suggested that the terminal could also include a hotel with 200 rooms and multi-storey car park with space for 1,100 cars.
Enormous cruise ships regularly visit Liverpool, providing a £7 million annual boost to the city’s economy. In recent years, the existing terminal has grown exponentially and is no longer consiidered fit for purpose.
During 2017, over 60 ships are expected to bring nearly 80,000 passengers to the city. This rise is meteoric, given that just 15 ships brought 27,000 to Liverpool in 2011. In 2016, the Disney Cruise Line came to Britain for the first time, and chose Liverpool to visit, one of just two cities in the whole of the UK.
The proposed development will allow cruise ships carrying up to 3,600 passengers to start and end their cruises in the city, further establishing Liverpool’s position as a key player in the cruise industry.
Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said: “Liverpool’s cruise industry has transformed our tourism appeal and given the Mersey a new lease of life.
“It has been one of the city’s great success stories of the past decade but we need to relocate if we are to welcome the next generation of super liners and give passengers a full five star experience.
“Appointing a technical team is a vital step in exploring how we achieve that move and if we can, we do it to the highest standards.
“A new cruise facility would also be a huge boost to our plans to transform the North Liverpool docklands and the support we’ve already received from the industry to the idea is hugely encouraging.”
If given the go ahead, the terminal will be sited next to the impressive, £5 billion Liverpool Waters regeneration scheme - a spot that could also become the new home of Everton Footbal Club.
In preparation for the continued rejuvenation of the docks, a £20 million link road from Leeds Street to improve access to the waterfront has been approved. The council is also in talks with the Duchy of Lancaster and Peel Holdings over the sale or lease of waterfront land.
If the council approve the design team's plans for a new cruise terminal, it will bid for £20 million from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), with a planning application submitted before the end of the year.
Written by Ian Johnson