Peel Ports looks to demolish ‘dangerous and unsightly’ Victorian jetty to make way for a new £36m Liverpool cruise ship terminal. Tony McDonough reports
Plans to build a new £36m cruise ship terminal on the Mersey are about to move forward with the demolition of a Victorian jetty making way for the development.
Peel Ports has submitted an application to Liverpool City Council to demolish the “dangerous and unsightly” jetty off Princes Dock and located next to the current cruise terminal.
In spring 2024, global cruise terminal operator Global Ports Holding (GPH) agreed a £12m deal with Peel Ports to take over the operation of the city’s cruise terminal from Liverpool City Council for a 50-year term.
As part of that agreement GPH said it would invest £25m in a new terminal that would increase capacity and allow for the simultaneous berthing of two 300-metre ships and up to 7,000 passengers a day. The cost of that scheme has since risen to £36m.
Built in the late 19th century the wooden jetty, which was once part of Liverpool landing stage, has not been used for more than 40 years and has fallen into a poor state of repair.
Planning consultancy Cassidy + Ashton has submitted the application on behalf of Peel Ports.
Its submission says: “These works will result in the removal of a dangerous and unsightly structure. Listed building consent is required because part of the jetty is physically attached to the granite harbour wall which itself forms part of a listed building.”
In 2025 GPH opened a new Liverpool base at No 12 Princes Dock in Liverpool Waters, a building that overlooks the cruise terminal. It was the company’s first UK office outside of London.
In April this year John Mawer, general manager UK for GPH, told LBN: “The next chapter will see further investment into port facilities, in order to attract more ships and increase economic impact into the local region.”
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A new terminal has been a long time in coming. In 2019 the city council was ready to press go on the new terminal, including a 100,000 sq ft terminal building over two storeys as well as a 200-bed four-star hotel at Princes Dock Liverpool Waters.
However, in March 2020 the COVID pandemic brought the global cruise industry to a halt. In 2021 the industry bounced back quickly but the cost of the project ballooned to almost £90m and the city council concluded this was unaffordable.