Peel Land and Property (Ports) has submitted a planning application for the new gateway on Bath Street after discussions with both Historic England and Liverpool City Council. Tony McDonough reports

Property giant Peel is proposing to make a new opening in its historic dock wall and provide a new entrance into Princes Dock – part of the £5bn Liverpool Waters development.

Peel Land and Property (Ports) has submitted a planning application for the new gateway on Bath Street after discussions with both Historic England and Liverpool City Council.

Princes Dock already contains three office buildings and two apartment buildings, a multi-storey car park and the Crowne Plaza and Malmaison hotels.

Work has now started on the construction of one of three new apartment buildings close to the dock wall and the construction of a new cruise liner terminal is also moving closer.

This all means a significant increase in traffic and footfall in and out of the dock and Peel says the new entrance is essential to minimise any congestion.

Paul Grover, associate director at Arup, which is overseeing the project, said: “The proposed new opening in the dock boundary wall will improve access to Princes Dock, the waterfront and the future developments around this prominent area including the new cruise liner terminal.

“As the area continues to develop, the high-quality finish to this new entrance will encourage pedestrian and vehicular visitors to the new amenities from the city to the waterfront.”

Ian Pollitt, assistant project director at Liverpool Waters, added: “For this application, it was paramount that we consulted with our partners and stakeholders from the very beginning, to ensure that the important historical nature of the boundary wall was maintained and preserved for future generations.”