Peel begins consulation on £500m River Mersey port expansion plan
Peel Ports today launches a public consultation about its potentially controversial £500m plans to expand its River Mersey dock operations.
The Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal owner is inviting all stakeholders from the city and the wider region to comment on the economic and environmental impact of its plans to develop new facilities.
According to Peel’s consultation document, Mersey Ports Master Plan: A 20-year Strategy for Growth, trade passing through the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal is forecast to grow by 70% over the next two decades. Liverpool handled 32m tonnes of cargo in 2008, while the Manchester Ship Canal handled 7m. Trade is expected to reach a total of 68.5m tonnes by 2030, according to forecasts in Peel’s consultation document.
The plan includes the development of in-river quays to handle some of the world’s biggest container vessels, currently unable to use the Port of Liverpool.
Peel expects to invest £500m in its port facilities over the next decade.
The growth projections for the Mersey are more than twice government forecasts for UK ports as a whole. Peel says its Mersey operations can outpace growth elsewhere in the country as it breaks into new markets such as handling biomass and serving off-shore windfarms, steel and metals, forest products and cars.
The plan also foresees the development of a number of multi-modal inland ports on the Manchester Ship Canal – Port Wirral, Port Bridgewater, Port Ince, Port Warrington and Port Salford.
In total, Peel foresees the need for 851 acres of new land to be given over to supporting its port operations. While some 746 acres can be identified, not all of this land is readily available at present.
The firm expects its investment to generate 6,000 new jobs and an additional £1.6bn of economic output in the region by 2020 and a further 1,500 jobs and £3.3bn of output by 2030.
In their consultation document, Peel Ports states: “Our location at the heart of the British Isles is a key driver of our growth strategy. The integration of the Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal means that we can offer a unique opportunity to drive a transformational shift in the behaviour of supply chains that trade beyond the UK, by developing a key logistics platform allied to the development of water freight solutions.
“The strategic development of Mersey Ports is focused upon driving growth across all our sectors, as diversity in the products we handle continues to be a core part of our plans.”
The Peel plan forms part of The Mersey Partnership’s SuperPort plan unveiled last year.
The consultation will be launched at Peel’s Seaforth Maritime Centre this morning (07/06/2011). A series of roadshows is planned for the summer. Stakeholders have until September 5 to respond.
All major port operators across the country are being encouraged by national government to enter consultations with local stakeholders about their growth plans.
As well as the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal, Peel also owns stakes in Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the Trafford Centre. It is also behind Salford’s Media City development, to which the BBC is currently in the process of relocating Radio 5 Live, children’s programming, and other operations.
Owned by Isle of Man based property entrepreneur John Whittaker, Peel acquired the Manchester Ship Canal in 1986 and the Port of Liverpool when it bought Mersey Docks and Harbour Company in 2005.
The company is also behind the £5bn Wirral and Liverpool Waters skyscraper developments planned for the Mersey waterfront.
The new in-river container terminal, to be built on the sea wall of the Royal Seaforth Container Dock, is the biggest single element of Peel’s plan. It will cost £200m to build and is expected to be operational by 2014.
Once complete, the in-river terminal will be able to handle the world’s biggest vessels, which currently can’t use the port’s locking system. Two 100,000-tonne vessels will be able to dock at one time. The investment is seen as vital if the port is to compete with Southampton and other rivals that already handle the largest ships.
[Image: Peel map showing development plans integrating Port of Liverpool and Manchester ship canal]
For more Liverpool news from the Daily Post visit www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk
‹
Back
The Capital, 39 Old Hall Street, Liverpool
L3 9PP
Telephone: +44(0)151 600 2900
Email:
info@liverpoolvision.co.uk