Council planners have approved a project that will see eight former shipping containers in Collingwood Dock in Liverpool Waters transformed into the Docklands Trail Visitor Centre. Tony McDonough reports

Eight former shipping containers located in Liverpool’s northern docklands are to be transformed into a heritage trail visitor centre illustrating the history of the docks.

As part of property group Peel’s £5bn Liverpool Waters project, the Docklands Trail Visitor Centre will share information and stories about the many transformations the north Liverpool and Bootle docks have seen over the years.

A planning application for the attraction in Collingwood Dock, submitted by Arup on behalf of Peel and The Docklands Trail Charity, has been approved by Liverpool City Council.

It will complement the Friends of Allonby Canoe Club that is already situated at the historic dock, whilst also preserving the industrial look and feel of the docks and dock boundary wall.

The publicly accessible containers will be managed by The Docklands Trail Charity and will be an invaluable source of information for school children, visitors and enthusiasts. 

Peel worked with The Docklands Trail to consult with a number of partners and stakeholders, including Liverpool City Council and the Titanic Hotel, to ensure the container village is best placed to serve the local area.

Ian Pollitt, assistant project director at Liverpool Waters, said: “It is fantastic to see the plans we’ve been working on for many years become a reality.  Much of the land at Liverpool Waters is currently disused dockland, we are keen to share its history with the public and encourage them to come on site and share its story.”