Ramboll to lead team to develop new Liverpool cruise facility

Liverpool City Council has appointed Ramboll to lead its technical team to develop a new permanent cruise terminal facility on the River Mersey. 

The multidisciplinary design team, appointed after a Europe-wide tendering process, includes architects Stride Treglown, cost managers Gardiner & Theobald, global planning and property consultants JLL, and landscape architects Hyland Edgar Driver. 

The team will initially work on developing a detailed design on the proposed £50m facility before submitting a planning application for the former Princes Jetty, off Princes Parade, later this year.

Further applications could potentially include supplemental projects with a new 200-room hotel and 1,100+ multi-storey car park to enhance the city’s capabilities in handling the next generation of turnaround cruises, which can carry up to 3,600 passengers. 

Last year Liverpool welcomed more than 60 vessels, with 120,000 passengers and crew, but wants to capitalise on the cruise boom by creating a new passenger and baggage facility complete with passport control, lounge, café, toilets, taxi rank and vehicle pick up point.

Subject to planning approval the Ramboll team would then project manage and assist with ongoing monitoring of construction of the new facility, as well as assisting with contractor procurement. Ramboll will be drawing on over 20 years’ experience of working on cruise liner terminals in the UK, and over 30 years of experience in marine structure design. 

They also bring local knowledge through their work over the last 16 years in developing both Liverpool’s Princes Dock and the surrounding area; including the existing Liverpool cruise liner terminal, which opened in September 2007 and now generates more than £7m a year to the city’s economy.

Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said: “Liverpool needs a new cruise facility so that we can provide the next generation of super liners and passengers with a world class welcome and a five star experience. Appointing Ramboll to lead this very experienced technical team is a key step in ensuring we develop a facility to the highest standards. A new cruise facility would also be a huge boost to our plans to regenerate the North Liverpool docklands and create thousands of new jobs.”

Dave Grove, project director at Ramboll said: “The whole design team is extremely proud to have secured the position of technical advisors, and look forward to supporting Liverpool City Council in this exciting endeavour. The cruise ship terminal project is one of vital importance to the city and will secure the future of this new cornerstone in Liverpool’s economy. Having personally worked in the quayside area throughout my 20 year career at Ramboll, I am confident that we can deliver a design that will meet the highest standards and needs of all who will use the facility.”

As well as appointing Ramboll, Liverpool City Council will now submit an outline business case for a £20m contribution to the facility from the Liverpool Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund. If that stage is successfully passed, the project will then progress to the final stage, a full business case.