Liverpool City Council says £2.5m plan ould create a new 300-foot long waterside walkway from the Pump House pub to Mann Island. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool’s Canning Dock could be spanned by four new foot bridges, linking the Albert Dock with the Pier Head in a £2.5m scheme.
The city council’s cabinet has approved for legal negotiations to be carried out on land ownership which would pave the way for the bridges to run across the dock.
It would create a new 300-foot long waterside walkway from the Pump House pub to Mann Island, providing millions of tourists with easy access to and from Liverpool’s waterfront.
The investment would create the first infrastructure development at the historic site since the Royal Albert Docks re-opened as an international visitor attraction in 1984. With work scheduled to begin at the end of the year, the new bridges are part of the wider £47m Liverpool City Centre Connectivity (LCCC) programme.
It also aims to boost transport links and further fuel Liverpool’s international appeal to investors, shoppers and tourists with its visitor economy.
The LCCC programme is receiving £38.4m from the Local Growth Fund with local match funding of £8.6m and is a major part of Liverpool City Council’s £500m Better Roads programme. Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund.
Cllr James Noakes, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “Liverpool’s waterfront has undergone a massive transformation in the past decade to the point that the Royal Albert and Canning Docks are bursting at the seams, especially when we have major events on as well saw when the Giants came in October.
“The arrival of Liverpool One, the cruise terminal, the arena and conference centre and the new Museum of Liverpool have all fuelled a huge rise in visitors to the waterfront over the past decade, and with more developments to come we need to create new ways for people to navigate around the area.
“These bridges will provide easy access for visitors to enjoy our fantastic waterfront as well as all of its cultural and historic splendour. They are also part of a wider scheme which will see huge improvements in how people explore and enjoy the city centre.”