Council is looking for a contribution to the development from the Liverpool Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund as its appoints a team of design experts. Tony McDonough reports
Liverpool City Region’s new Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and the six boroughs will be asked to approve a £20m cash injection for the city’s proposed £50m cruise liner terminal.
On Thursday Liverpool City Council appointed a team of expert consultants to come up with a detailed plan for the waterfront scheme which would replace the temporary facility at Princes Dock.
And the council will now ask for a £20m contribution to the development from the Liverpool Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund.
Once this is approved then a full business case will be put together at which point the authority will look to identify sources of funding for the remaining £30m.
Booming market
The current facility, just north of the Pier Head, last year welcomed more than 60 vessels and 120,000 passengers and crew.
Liverpool City Council wants to take full advantage of the booming cruise market by building a permanent terminal able to handle a new generation of turnaround cruises carrying up to 3,600 passengers.
It also wants to create a new passenger and baggage terminal complete with passport control, lounge, café, toilets, taxi rank and vehicle pick up point.
There are also plans for a 200-room hotel and 1,100-plus multi-storey car park.
Top team
The multi-disciplinary design team, who have been appointed after a European-wide tendering process, will be led by engineering consultancy Ramboll.
It includes architects Stride Treglown, cost managers Gardiner & Theobald, global planning and property consultants JLL, and landscape architects Hyland Edgar Driver.
The team will initially work on developing a detailed design on the proposed facility before submitting a planning application for the former Princes Jetty, off Princes Parade, later this year.
Key step
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said: “Liverpool needs a new cruise facility so that we can provide the next generation of super liners and passengers with a world class welcome and a five star experience.
“Appointing Ramboll to lead this very experienced technical team is a key step in ensuring we develop a facility to the highest standards.
“A new cruise facility would also be a huge boost to our plans to regenerate the North Liverpool docklands and create thousands of new jobs.”