Liverpool Council £40m waterfront Exhibition Hall plans will create 1000 jobs
A MULTI-MILLION pound Exhibition Hall is to be built in Liverpool.
The new attraction, which will form part of the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre (ACC), is expected to cost around £40m and to create 1000 jobs.
But the council – which will own the building – insisted the scheme will pay for itself and there will be no cost to the taxpayer.
However, the council will be responsible for borrowing the cash to bankroll the project, with building due to start in 2012.
At a press conference yesterday eye-catching artists’ impressions of the new development were revealed for the first time with the launch broadcast simultaneously to media and businesses at the city’s ‘Embassy’ in London.
The ACC and city bosses have been working up the scheme for nearly a year, but it has been kept well under wraps until now.
At the launch, council leader Cllr Joe Anderson said that despite the financial struggle facing the council through government cuts, it was imperative the city realised its ambitions to improve on its already considerable reputation as a venue for conferences, concerts and exhibitions.
Cllr Anderson said: “The next stage is planning the design of the building, and we will be careful to make sure it complements our existing Arena and Convention Centre and the World Heritage site that surrounds it.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that it will make sure our waterfront is one of the most significant events centres in Europe, and add another iconic landmark to our skyline.”
The Exhibition Hall will include three separate spaces which can be opened up into one massive venue, with a total floor space of around 8,100 square metres.
It will have a series of rigged walkways in the roof structure which will be used for lighting and sound equipment so that massive concerts can also be staged with standing room for up to 10,000 people.
But a key aim of the project will be to increase the amount of visits to the city midweek, and particularly during the daytime, when conferences and exhibitions would be likely to take place.
The development will be built on currently derelict land on Kings Dock close to the Convention Centre, currently owned by the Homes and Communities Agency.
Bob Prattey, chief executive of the ACC, said the limitations of the current venues argued the case for the new space, which will be linked to the Convention Centre by a sky-tunnel walkway.
Mr Prattey said: “The genesis of the idea came from us looking at our existing business and the restrictions on that.
“Conferences need to support themselves through the exhibition element, and the bigger the conferences we stage, the more challenging the demands on the Arena, because there’s a huge cost servicing these events.
“There’s a need for more exhibition space, particularly as we move from earning our spurs in the UK market into the European markets.
“Currently we can only have around 3,000 or 4,000 people standing at an event, but there’s a demand for 8,000 to 10,000 and this will allow us to do that.”
While the development is expected to cost around £40m, it is expected to bring in that amount each year through conferences, exhibitions and gigs.
Around 150 construction jobs are expected to be created, with around 1,300 people working in the venue or in related leisure industries.
Plans are also afoot for a 200-bed, five-star hotel complex, but that will be funded separately through private sector investment and not through borrowing by the council.
David McDonnell, chairman of the ACC, said: “This will position Liverpool in the premier league of exhibition and events cities in the UK.”
Jack Stopforth, chief executive of the the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, said: “The new complex will make a huge contribution to the midweek visitor economy and its development sends a very strong message about our confidence in what the city has to offer.”
Frank McKenna, chairman of business lobby group Downtown Liverpool in Business (DLIB) added: “It’s encouraging to see the city making bold investment decisions.
“The new complex will see our world famous waterfront becoming one of the most significant events destinations in Europe, bringing huge benefits to the city.”
A MULTI-MILLION pound Exhibition Hall is to be built in Liverpool.
The new attraction, which will form part of the Echo Arena and BT Convention Centre (ACC), is expected to cost around £40m and to create 1000 jobs.
But the council – which will own the building – insisted the scheme will pay for itself and there will be no cost to the taxpayer.
However, the council will be responsible for borrowing the cash to bankroll the project, with building due to start in 2012.
At a press conference yesterday eye-catching artists’ impressions of the new development were revealed for the first time with the launch broadcast simultaneously to media and businesses at the city’s ‘Embassy’ in London.
The ACC and city bosses have been working up the scheme for nearly a year, but it has been kept well under wraps until now.
At the launch, council leader Cllr Joe Anderson said that despite the financial struggle facing the council through government cuts, it was imperative the city realised its ambitions to improve on its already considerable reputation as a venue for conferences, concerts and exhibitions.
Cllr Anderson said:
“The next stage is planning the design of the building, and we will be careful to make sure it complements our existing Arena and Convention Centre and the World Heritage site that surrounds it.
There’s no doubt in my mind that it will make sure our waterfront is one of the most significant events centres in Europe, and add another iconic landmark to our skyline.”
The Exhibition Hall will include three separate spaces which can be opened up into one massive venue, with a total floor space of around 8,100 square metres.
It will have a series of rigged walkways in the roof structure which will be used for lighting and sound equipment so that massive concerts can also be staged with standing room for up to 10,000 people.
But a key aim of the project will be to increase the amount of visits to the city midweek, and particularly during the daytime, when conferences and exhibitions would be likely to take place.
The development will be built on currently derelict land on Kings Dock close to the Convention Centre, currently owned by the Homes and Communities Agency.
Bob Prattey, chief executive of the ACC, said the limitations of the current venues argued the case for the new space, which will be linked to the Convention Centre by a sky-tunnel walkway.
Mr Prattey said: “The genesis of the idea came from us looking at our existing business and the restrictions on that.
“Conferences need to support themselves through the exhibition element, and the bigger the conferences we stage, the more challenging the demands on the Arena, because there’s a huge cost servicing these events.
“There’s a need for more exhibition space, particularly as we move from earning our spurs in the UK market into the European markets.
“Currently we can only have around 3,000 or 4,000 people standing at an event, but there’s a demand for 8,000 to 10,000 and this will allow us to do that.”
While the development is expected to cost around £40m, it is expected to bring in that amount each year through conferences, exhibitions and gigs.
Around 150 construction jobs are expected to be created, with around 1,300 people working in the venue or in related leisure industries.
Plans are also afoot for a 200-bed, five-star hotel complex, but that will be funded separately through private sector investment and not through borrowing by the council.
David McDonnell, chairman of the ACC, said: “This will position Liverpool in the premier league of exhibition and events cities in the UK.”
Jack Stopforth, chief executive of the the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, said:
“The new complex will make a huge contribution to the midweek visitor economy and its development sends a very strong message about our confidence in what the city has to offer.”
Frank McKenna, chairman of business lobby group Downtown Liverpool in Business (DLIB) added: “It’s encouraging to see the city making bold investment decisions.
“The new complex will see our world famous waterfront becoming one of the most significant events destinations in Europe, bringing huge benefits to the city.”
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