Cruise Liner Work Set to Start

WORK is set to start shortly on the cruise liner facility at Liverpool's Pier Head following the signing of legal agreements.

The agreements between Liverpool City Council and Peel Holdings following several months of negotiations allow for access to the site at Princes Dock.

An extension will be built onto the existing landing stage, allowing cruise ships of up to 350-metres in length to berth. This means that the biggest liners in the world will be able to visit the Mersey on a regular basis.

It is anticipated that work will start on site by April and the cruise liner facility will be operational by Spring 2007. Balfour Beatty is the contractor for the scheme

The Cruise Liner facility is being developed by a partnership between the City Council, Peel Holdings, Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), Liverpool Vision, City Focus, Government Office North West and the Mersey Waterfront Regional Park.

Funding for the project has been provided by the Merseyside Objective One programme and NWDA.

Cllr Warren Bradley, City Council Leader, said:- "It's now full steam ahead for the cruise liners to come back to the Mersey on a regular basis.

I know people have been waiting for work to start on this scheme and wondering when it will get under way but we have had to wait, firstly while the Government agreed the Harbour Revision Order and then Peel Holdings' takeover of the Mersey Docks and Harbor Company had to go through before we could get involved in detailed discussions with them. We have worked well with Peel to ensure that this exciting scheme will become a reality.

Now we can look forward to seeing some of the most impressive vessels in the world berthed at a World Heritage Site. They will bring a great influx of tourists to the city and the wider region and be here in time for our 800th birthday and Capital of Culture."

Sir David Henshaw, Council Chief Executives said:- "This is a very important and exciting development which is being delivered for the city. Along with the other developments taking place it means that the waterfront will be a major visitor destination.

This has been a highly complex scheme because of the number of different interests involved but by working together the partners in the scheme are going to deliver something which is very important to the future of the city and the region."

Lindsey Ashworth, Development Director of Peel Holdings says:-"All stakeholders have been working extremely hard to ensure that the Cruise Liner Terminal goes ahead. It's not been easy but we were all confident that solutions and compromises would be made for the greater good of Liverpool.

What is important is that this is seen as the start of the regeneration of the entire waterfront from Pier Head through Central Docks and beyond.

To attract these cruise ships from exotic and far away places, we have to provide a waterfront that is befitting the great City of Liverpool.

Peel intends to keep the momentum of regeneration going forward by creating a vibrant and exciting waterfront with buildings and public realm of the highest quality and so adding to Liverpool's attraction.

Peel has already invested hundreds of millions of pounds into the regeneration of Liverpool by its expansion and modernization of Liverpool John Lennon Airport and so will continue this commitment to Liverpool with the help and co-operation of all stakeholders".

Chair of Mersey Waterfront, Sara Wilde, said:- "This facility will allow us to offer cruise lines and their passengers the unique experience of sailing up the River Mersey and stepping ashore at our world-famous World Heritage Site waterfront. We are confident we will be able to attract as many as 25,000 extra visitors a year by liner, including some of the biggest and most famous ships in the world like Canard's Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2."

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