Post by Kev on Jun 10, 2004 5:20:16 GMT -5
LIVERPOOL'S £12m cruise liner terminal has been given the go-ahead by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and should open next year.
Mr Prescott has agreed to a vital harbour revision order, bypassing the more arduous parliamentary route, that will allow building work to take place.
Normally obtaining such an order can take years.
Mr Prescott has also decided not to call in the scheme for a decision by the Government, meaning construction can start as early as late summer.
This means the terminal, near the Crowne Plaza Hotel, should open by the autumn of next year and could see up to 50 cruise liners tying up along the waterfront in the first year.
The city council now plans to advertise next month for a cruise liner director, with a salary of around £70,000, to run the terminal.
Last night, Cllr Mike Storey, leader of Liverpool council, hailed the decision as critical to the renaissance of the city as it prepares for its Capital of Culture crown.
He said: "This is something we have needed for a very long time and it means thousands of visitors will come into the area every year, giving us a really big economic boost. The river will again become an important front door for Liverpool."
A public inquiry has been called for July to decide on the diversion of a waterfront footway, but this is expected to be a formality.
The Department of Trade and Industry is also expected to decide soon on the public money element of the project to make sure it does not clash with European funding rules.
But early indications are that the money will be in place.
In the last few weeks, the world's most famous cruise liner, the QE2, had to anchor mid-river and The World, one of the largest cruise liners, berthed at Brocklebank Dock next to a scrapyard.
The city council is now expected to press for Liverpool as a venue for the naming ceremonies of new cruise liners. Earlier this year, it missed out on the Queen Mary II which held its ceremony in Southampton.
Mr Prescott has agreed to a vital harbour revision order, bypassing the more arduous parliamentary route, that will allow building work to take place.
Normally obtaining such an order can take years.
Mr Prescott has also decided not to call in the scheme for a decision by the Government, meaning construction can start as early as late summer.
This means the terminal, near the Crowne Plaza Hotel, should open by the autumn of next year and could see up to 50 cruise liners tying up along the waterfront in the first year.
The city council now plans to advertise next month for a cruise liner director, with a salary of around £70,000, to run the terminal.
Last night, Cllr Mike Storey, leader of Liverpool council, hailed the decision as critical to the renaissance of the city as it prepares for its Capital of Culture crown.
He said: "This is something we have needed for a very long time and it means thousands of visitors will come into the area every year, giving us a really big economic boost. The river will again become an important front door for Liverpool."
A public inquiry has been called for July to decide on the diversion of a waterfront footway, but this is expected to be a formality.
The Department of Trade and Industry is also expected to decide soon on the public money element of the project to make sure it does not clash with European funding rules.
But early indications are that the money will be in place.
In the last few weeks, the world's most famous cruise liner, the QE2, had to anchor mid-river and The World, one of the largest cruise liners, berthed at Brocklebank Dock next to a scrapyard.
The city council is now expected to press for Liverpool as a venue for the naming ceremonies of new cruise liners. Earlier this year, it missed out on the Queen Mary II which held its ceremony in Southampton.
