THE dream of reviving transatlantic crossings from Liverpool came a tiny step nearer to reality - but first there's the question of cost.
Mayor Joe Anderson has given a Liverpool-led team of architects, engineers and money men the job of coming up with a concept design and an estimate for an all singing all dancing Mersey cruise terminal, capable of handling thousands of passengers at any one time.
The former Princes Jetty at Princes Parade, close to the landing stage, has already been earmarked for the facility. The site would include passport control, passenger lounge, café, toilets, taxi rank, vehicle pick up point, coach layover area and a car park.
Led by Arup and including KKA Architects, Royal Haskoning DHV Engineering and cost consultants Turner and Townsend, the team’s brief is to create a robust, fully costed plan for a terminal capable of handling 3,600 embarking and disembarking passengers with baggage – three times as many as the existing facility.
Southampton-based Cunard – which describes the city as its spiritual home - 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 this year.
The rotting former cattle jetty at the end of Princes Dock has been earmarked for the new terminal which would be able to handle 3,600 passengers at any one timeMayor 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.”
Work will be completed on the study by the end of June and a final decision taken over the project later in the year.
Garry Banks, director of Arup and project director for the team “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.
He added: “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.
Powered by 
