Multi-million pound Exhibition Centre and Hotel gets the go ahead

PLANS to create a world class exhibition centre and hotel in Liverpool; propelling the City into the premier league for hosting large scale trade and consumer exhibitions; have been given the green light.

It's all systems go for the new £40m Exhibition Centre Liverpool and £27m integrated hotel at Kings Dock, after the ambitious plans were approved by the City's planning committee on Tuesday, 23 July 2013.

It paves the way for work beginning, in late autumn, on the construction of the 8,100 sqm, 3 hall exhibition centre and the 200 room 'headquarters' hotel, which will form part of ACC Liverpool, home to BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena.

The new facilities will be open in spring 2015.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "This is fantastic news for Liverpool. I've pushed this project hard from the beginning, because I know the huge economic benefits it will bring to our City, attracting new visitors, boosting local business and creating jobs. This decision from the planning committee means we can now press ahead with delivering an absolutely world class waterfront development. Exhibition Centre Liverpool and the integrated hotel will allow us to build on the massive success of ACC Liverpool, and will drive our transformation into one of Europe's leading destinations for large-scale conferences, exhibitions and events. It's a huge boost for our City and yet more evidence that despite the recession, we continue to forge ahead with delivering important regeneration schemes. I'm looking forward to construction getting underway."

Exhibition Centre Liverpool will be capable of hosting large scale conferences, trade and consumer exhibitions, concerts and sports events on a national and international scale. Plans for the facility include an atrium, meeting rooms and a business centre. The three halls will each be 2,700sqm and will be separated by movable walls.

Pullman will be the brand for the integrated, upscale, 4 Star hotel, which will include up to 10,500 square metres of floor space and seven storeys of rooms, above a ground floor reception, lobby, restaurant, bar, meeting rooms and gym.

Pullman, which is owned by international hotel company Accor, has hotels all over the world, including all the major European cities, but currently only one in the UK, in St Pancras, London. Branded Hotel Management (BHM) was appointed as hotel operator in April this year.

BEACONS FESTIVAL IS CALLING...!

FOR the 1st time, Northern Rail, one of the UK's largest train operators, will be supporting one of the North's newest emerging art and boutique music festivals, Beacons, at its stations across the North.  Set in the stunning Yorkshire Dales in the rolling hills of Funkirk Estate on Heslaker Farm in Skipton, Northern is celebrating the partnership by offering one lucky winner the chance to win a pair of tickets plus return train travel to Skipton for the weekend festival which kicks off on Friday, 16 August 2013.  Three full days of music from cutting-edge acts such as SBTRKT, Bonobo, Ghostpoet, Django Django, David Rodigan, James Holden and Channel One Sound System will be peppered with one of a kind site art and visuals as well as family activities, arts and cultural installations.  Culinary offerings will be on show from some of Yorkshire's best known eateries including:- Reds BBQ, Fish&, Laynes Espresso and Whitelocks Real Ale. Northern operates services from Leeds, Bradford and Carlisle, which will drop festival goers into Skipton station, which is just 3 miles from the festival site.  Festival Director Ashley Kollakowski said:- "We are very pleased to be promoting green travel with Northern Rail. We want to encourage as many people as possible to use the service, so please leave your cars at home and enjoy the scenic rail route to Skipton. See you at the festival!"  Joselyn Rankin from Northern Rail comments:- "Supporting a home-grown event such as Beacons is a real treat for us. The excellent line-up and vast array of activities on offer will encourage more people to visit this beautiful part of the Yorkshire countryside. Taking the train to a festival is a greener way to travel and is environmentally kind to the local landscape."   To be in with a chance to win tickets, visit:- northernrail.org/beacons to enter.