Off Topic Hull council to seek partner to build cruise terminal

PLANS for a cruise liner terminal in Hull which could add £13 million to the local economy are set to take a major step forward next week.

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Senior councillors are expected to agree to the creation of public-private partnership to oversee the development of the terminal which could be built at Sammy’s Point close to The Deep aquarium or the Albert Dock.

The cost of the terminal, previously estimated at £17 million, has now risen to a more likely £25 million and the report suggests that the council’s contribution should be capped at just over £9 million.

A report to be presented to senior councillors next week says that building a “world class city centre riverside berth will create a long term legacy for the City of Hull and will contribute to the wider regeneration and renewal of the city centre”.

But it also warns councillors that “delivering a viable cruise terminal is likely to prove to be a significant challenge, and is far from certain of success” without securing additional funding.

Writing in the report, Coun Steven Bayes, who holds the council visitor destination portfolio, says: “With City of Culture 2017 and Siemens investing in the city, Hull is increasingly the focus of national and international attention.

“The economic benefits to the North of England are significant and we need to make the most of this project, seeking funding from as wide a range of sources external to the council as possible.

“Our city is here because of the port and with a cruise terminal we will benefit from the new visitors.

“We can capture a slice of the cruise market and passengers, for which the city is ideally placed, and can ensure a legacy beyond 2017 that has tangible benefits to the city, the people of Hull and the wider economy of the North of England.”

Setting up a public-private partnership is seen by the council as a way of securing the additional money needed for the venture and the expertise needed to operate the facility once it is built.

Other options would include leaving it to the private sector to come forward with the proposals but the report warns that the project is unlikely to get off the ground without some public sector financial contribution.

Councillors will be told that the cruise terminal could either be a “port of call” where passengers disembark for trips around Yorkshire or a more costly “home port” where cruise trips start and end.

“Research has indicated that there is demand from the market that could be satisfied by providing a “Yorkshire Port” for the cruise market,” the council report says.

In the last seven years there has been a 79 per cent rise in the number of people taking cruises in northern Europe.

Hull City Council’s cabinet will consider the next stages of the cruise terminal project at a meeting on Monday.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news...ek-partner-to-build-cruise-terminal-1-7321499

 

I think it's a great idea, it's a rapidly growing market and something I think we should be looking to get involved in, though neither site seems ideal.

The Sammy's Point site(next door to The Deep) is a good position, it's close to the city centre/Old Town/Fruit/Marina and the new hotels etc, but there's already parking issues at The Deep and I don't see how you could get a big increase in traffic, or any parking at all.

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The Albert Dock site is more easily accessible from the A63 and there's probably more development opportunities around the site, but it's a bit further from the city centre, it's not a great walk in(unless you can funnel people past the marina), but to do that you've got to be able to get people across the dock entrance somehow.

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Just wondered in anyone had any involvement and knew anything about more detailed plans?

 

That's actually quite cheap compared to some, Sunderland £10m, Bolton £22m and Birmingham an incredible £35m.

 

Sammy's Point has been developed already, it's got The Deep on it and I doubt they'll knock that down.

 

That's why I was posing the question, I can't see why it's being touted as one of the two options, when it seems completely impractical.

 

It's a big site and it's got better access, but as I mentioned above, you've still got the issue of getting people into the city centre. It's quite a walk and somehow you'd have to have a crossing over the dock gates, in addition assuming vehicles would access via the A63, they'd have to drive along way round to get to the end(I'm assuming all those old transit sheds still run alongside the edge of the dock)...

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