New facility off Princes Dock will be incorporated into Peel’s £5bn Liverpool Waters development and is expected to see the creation of 500 jobs. Tony McDonough reports

Work on the next phase of Liverpool’s new £50m cruise terminal will begin in October after Liverpool City Region Combined Authority approved £20m for the project.

The cash will come from the authority’s Single Investment Fund and will allow the project, that will enable the world’s largest cruise ships to dock at Liverpool and create 500 new jobs, to move forward.

The first phase of construction on the new terminal started in May this year, as site investigations were undertaken to understand the geology of the bedrock on which the new terminal complex will be constructed.

Preparation work

The main contract works will involve the construction of a suspended deck structure and the erection of a vehicular linkspan bridge and pedestrian bridge / walkway to connect the new terminal to the existing landing stage and preparation work will start in October.

Liverpool City Council is leading on the creation of the new cruise terminal, which will also include an adjoining hotel and multi-storey car park and will be incorporated into Peel’s £5bn Liverpool Waters development.

This year Liverpool will welcome more than 57 vessels, with 100,000 passengers and crew, but the city council wants to capitalise on the cruise boom by creating a new passenger and baggage facility, complete with passport control, lounge, café, toilets, taxi rank and vehicle pick-up point.

Visitor economy

Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “The visitor economy is increasingly important to the whole of the Liverpool city region – it grew by 66% between 2009 and 2017 and is now worth more than £4.5bn per year – and a new cruise liner terminal will help this vital sector continue to flourish.

“This is a unique project with the potential to boost the whole of the city region which is why as a combined authority we are pleased to be able to offer this substantial support to one of the city council’s flagship initiatives.”

Landing stage

Works will also involve improvements to the existing landing stage, including modification of existing buildings such as the lower cruise terminal reception building, relocation of the building on the northern end of the pontoon and creation of ancillary buildings for storage and use by operational staff.

There  will also be improvements to Princes Parade to incorporate pedestrian crossing facilities, provision of terminal parking, pickup and drop off facilities, and supporting development.

Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, added: “The construction of this new terminal will mark a new chapter in the city’s maritime future as we create a world class experience for the cruise companies and their passengers.

“We are working in partnership with the combined authority and some of the very best in the engineering industry to deliver this facility to the very highest standards.”