Cruise terminal is still on track for launch in 2024
PLANS FOR £73M TERMINAL
CITY council bosses say they are pressing ahead with ambitious plans for a new cruise terminal in Hull despite the travel industry being badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The project, earmarked for a site near The Deep, has a current estimated cost of £73m.
The council has set aside £8m as a contribution and is relying on attracting external funding to make it happen, potentially as part of a devolution deal with the Government.
A target date for the first operational season of the new facility remains 2024.
Guidance published last December for companies interested in becoming the council’s commercial development partner on the project said a shortlist was expected to be drawn up by March this year.
However, the onset of the pandemic put that on hold.
The procurement process has recently been restarted with an appointment now expected in either December or January.
Garry Taylor, the council’s assistant director for major projects, said: “We are getting positive noise from potential operators in the procurement process and we are also getting positive noise from the cruise industry, actually now more than ever.
“The expectation coming out of Covid is that most cruise ships are looking to be fully Covid-secure when the industry reopens.
“On a national level, there will be tests for people within 20 minutes at some point and cruise ship operators are already looking at how they will able to implement that to keep things safe, both in terms of crew and passengers.
“What it actually does mean is that when the cruise liners and companies switch back on, they are looking to do more localised cruises.
“That means more smaller cruises across Europe and around the UK while bringing some of their larger ships into that fold.
“In reality what we are going to see is increased demand for a facility on the east coast and we are the only locality that feeds the key tourist destinations of Nottingham and York.
“The Tyne did try, but couldn’t accommodate York or Nottingham because they are too far away and buses from the cruise ships would take too long to get there.
“They are also looking for locations where people can just drop off and stay in the immediate locality and they have always been very excited about Hull, the city centre and its potential and also The Deep.
“The conversations are still very positive, but I’m not saying there will be some impact (from Covid) and we will need to work that through.”
Mr Taylor said concerns raised last year by The Deep over potential impact from noise and vibrations from cruise ships on animals at the aquarium were also being addressed.
The visitor attraction also expressed concerns over disruption to trading with the terminal building earmarked for a site currently occupied by its business centre which provides rental income.
Mr Taylor said: “In terms of the work to the scheme, we haven’t actually stopped that. We are doing all the environmental assessments, including a wider assessment in terms of the impact on The Deep.
“The Deep did raise some concerns, so we appointed one of the consultants they recommended to carry out a very detailed assessment, both in terms on the impact on The Deep, but also the wider marine impact in the estuary.
“In addition to that, we have been doing quite a significant amount of design work to reduce the wider impact of the scheme both in terms of nearby properties and the city centre.”
He said a team of specialist port design consultants had also been hired to use their experience of working on similar projects across Europe.
“They have been working around challenging some of the scheme’s original assumptions in order that we can alleviate some of the wider impacts and concerns as well as undertaking additional transport assessments”