Gower Street Estates, freeholders of Albert Dock, propose a glass structure on Salthouse Quay, covering a total floor space of 4,000 sq ft, including outside canopy space. Tony McDonough reports

Owners of Liverpool’s Albert Dock are seeking planning consent for a new ‘Welcome Pavilion’ to be located at its main entrance close to the Strand.

The pavilion is the first phase of a masterplan to upgrade the attraction to meet the evolving needs of future visitors to the Grade I listed estate

Gower Street Estates, freeholders of Albert Dock, propose a glass structure on Salthouse Quay, covering a total floor space of 4,000 sq ft (including outside canopy space), that will not only act as a welcome, information and event space, but also celebrate and showcase the history and heritage of Albert Dock with curated content through multi-media platforms.

The scheme also includes improvements to the public realm of the area to open up views of the waterfront and provide a more pedestrian-friendly arrival space for visitors. The scheme will also reconnect the middle ground between Albert Dock, Liverpool One and the wider city.

Landscape architects, Planit-IE, were first commissioned in 2014 to draw up a blueprint for the future development of Albert Dock, with the Welcome Pavilion, designed by K2 Architects, later added and representing the first phase in the delivery of the masterplan.

The planning application was developed following public and stakeholder consultation back in September 2017, with Arup’s planning team leading on the submission.

Sue Grindrod, chief executive of Gower Street Estates, said: “While we recognise and respect the important role Albert Dock has played in the fortunes of the city over the years, our focus is very much to the future and how we position Albert Dock as an internationally-recognised attraction fit for the visitors of tomorrow.