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Cruise Terminal design
concept contract awarded
LIVERPOOL
City Council has appointed an international consultancy team led by Arup and
including KKA Architects, Royal Haskoning DHV Engineering and cost consultants
Turner and Townsend to produce a concept design.
They will come up with a robust, fully costed plan for a terminal capable of
handling 3,600 embarking and disembarking passengers with baggage 3 times as
many as the existing facility. The site would include passport control,
passenger lounge, café, toilets, Taxi Rank, vehicle pick up point, coach layover
area and a car park.
The former Princes Jetty at Princes Parade, close to the landing stage, is
preferred location and a potentially suitable site.
The world famous Cunard Line which describes the City as its spiritual home has
said the development could lead to the reintroduction of its transatlantic
crossings from Liverpool, which last took place regularly in 1968.
It follows a doubling in the number of vessels visiting Liverpool since it
became a turnaround facility in 2012 up from 31 to 61. Passenger numbers are up
from 38,656 four years ago to an expected 86,365 in 2016.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "I am determined to see huge
continued growth in the cruise liner industry in Liverpool. To do that we need a
permanent building to replace the facility we have at the moment which has
limited space. We are now commissioning detailed plans which will give us a
clear picture of how much of a commitment we are going to have to make. Clearly
there will be a cost to the construction of the facility, but the figures speak
for themselves in terms of the economic boost we get from cruises coming to the
City."
Garry Banks, Director of Arup and Project Director for the team told us that:-
"We are delighted to have been awarded the contract we're a Liverpool
based team and it really helps that we understand the strategic context of this
project and its importance to the City region economy. The current facility has
delivered an award winning service and it's now our challenge to look at how we
can deliver a permanent cruise terminal design that ensures Liverpool can
continue to deliver an award winning cruise experience and capitalise on this
growing sector whilst accommodating larger ships with greater passenger
turnaround. Projects such as this also enable us to continue to develop our
teams in the City, employing local graduates and apprentices; meaning we not
only grow and improve as businesses but we also contribute to the success of the
City in the long term."
The cruise liner terminal is estimated to have generated £7 million for the
City's visitor economy last year, up from £1.3 million when it was a port of
call destination.
In May 2015, the Cunard fleet arrived on the River Mersey, creating an
unprecedented Three Queens spectacle and once in a lifetime event that was seen
by more than a million people lining both sides of the waterfront.
Liverpool was named the UK's best
port of call for 2 years running, in 2013 and 2014, and scooped:-
'Destination Of The Year' by Seatrade Global, in September 2015.
Later in 2016, Disney Cruise Line will be coming to Britain for the 1st time and
Liverpool is 1 of just 2 English destinations they will sail in to.
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet member for culture, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:-
"The River Mersey is hugely close to the hearts of local people and there
is always a buzz when a big liner is in port. Much of what Liverpool has to
offer cruise-ship visitors is right in the City Centre, alongside the waterfront
where ships dock. The location, along with the warm welcome people receive when
they arrive in the City, means Liverpool as a destination goes from strength to
strength. We know there is an appetite from the cruise lines to come to
Liverpool and it is vital that we give passengers the best experience that we
can. A larger, permanent facility would enable us to do that."
Work will be completed on the study by the end of June 2016 and a final decision
taken over the project later in 2016.
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Growth of
Liverpool's Cruise Liner Terminal |
|
Year |
Vessels |
Passengers |
|
2011 |
15 |
27,278 |
|
2012 |
31 |
38,656 |
|
2013 |
34 |
44,478 |
|
2014 |
47 |
57,844 |
|
2015 |
52 |
80,952 |
|
2016 |
61 |
86,365 |
|
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Stop letting down disabled
people! Local charity responds to House of Lords report
NATIONAL
disabled people's charity Revitalise; which runs the Sandpipers respite holiday
centre in Southport; has responded to the House of Lords report:- "The
Equality Act 2010: the impact on disabled people" and echoed its call for
society to become more inclusive and accessible for disabled people."
The charity is citing a number of recent studies which back up the Lords
Committee's finding that the 'Equality Act' and public venues are
failing in their duty of care to disabled people.
In a study of visitor attractions, Revitalise found that just 17% of the UK's
most visited attractions had all their staff trained in disability awareness and
65% of disabled people had decided against visiting a tourist attraction because
they found their accessibility information to be insufficient, confusing or
difficult to obtain.
The charity also found similar problems on the high street, where over half
(55%) of disabled people had experienced negative or unwelcoming treatment from
shop staff.
Most recently, Revitalise discovered that the world of sport fared no better.
The charity found that only 3 football clubs in the Premiership; the world's
richest football league; had the recommended number of spaces for wheelchair
users, in accordance with guidelines that have been in existence for over 10
years.
In the light of its own research and echoing the recommendations of the Lords
Report, Revitalise is urging all public venues to up their game when it comes to
their obligations under the Equality Act and stop letting down disabled people.
Revitalise Chief Executive Chris
Simmonds said:- "This new report makes very sobering reading indeed. It
has been 6 years since the launch of the Equality Act and only four years since
the huge outpouring of public goodwill towards disabled people during the 2012
London Paralympics. Now, in the run up to the Rio Paralympics, it is very
disheartening to find that however far we think we have come in making society
more open and accessible for disabled people, we haven't come nearly far enough.
Can our public venues really afford to ignore the needs of disabled people? The
spending power of disabled people is worth around £212 billion annually to the
national economy, but public venues risk losing out on this valuable income by
not making simple and reasonable adjustments for disabled people, as they are
obliged to under the Equality Act. So there is an economic as well as moral
argument for public venues to do more for their disabled customers. Disabled
people have every right to expect the same choices and opportunities as anyone
else; is this too much to ask?"
Revitalise is a national charity providing respite holidays for disabled people
and carers, combining 24 hour nurse led care with a real holiday experience, at
Sandpipers and 2 other accessible UK centres. Excursions are an integral part of
the experience and Revitalise makes a thorough assessment of the accessibility
arrangements of each destination to which it takes its guests.
National Band Concert to be
held with tickets just £5!
OVER 300 musical Army
Cadets from all over the country attend at Altcar Training Camp, in Hightown,
just outside Formby, Merseyside, each year for a week of musical instruction,
training and assessment and this year (2016) they are again doing a concert as
part of it. This event has been held for the last few years and is thoroughly
enjoyed by all. As the training amid to selecting the best of them to perform as
part of the National Army Cadet Band and Corps of Drums, the music is of an
unbelievably high standard! This concert will then take place, on Wednesday, 30
March 2016, at 2pm, at Ince Blundell Village Hall, located on Lady Green Lane.
Tickets are just £5 with concessions available at £3. They can be obtained via
the Hightown Village Store. For information please call:- 01704 871927.
The 1st ½ off all proceeds taken at this event from ticket sales will go to the
Poppy Appeal, to help service and ex-service personnel, the other ½ goes to
provide the instruments for the band.
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