New ferry terminal gets last Objective 1 grant

Sep 7 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

THE final grant from Merseyside’s Objective 1 fund was last night awarded to help pay for Liverpool Pier Head’s new Mersey ferry terminal.

The European investment fund is putting £3.7m into the building which will cost £9.3m.

Developer Merseytravel is investing £4.6m into the project that will replace the 1960s terminal with an architect-designed terminal.

The award of the final Objective 1 grant will bring to a close an investment programme that has seen more than £1.5bn of European funds invested in over 6,400 projects over the past 13 years.

Merseyside was made an Objective 1 area in 1994 after it was revealed that the region’s economic output was less than 75% of the European average.

The Brussels cash has helped pull Merseyside from the bottom of Europe’s poverty league.

The boost for the world-famous riverfront came as more than 100 specially invited guests boarded the Royal Daffodil for a party to mark the completion of the Objective 1 Programme.

Although the money has now been spent or allocated, work will continue into next year.

Keith Barnes, chairman of the Merseyside Objective 1 partner-ship, said last night: “It is fitting that the final Objective 1 grant is going to a project that will enhance a part of Merseyside that is famous the world over.

“There is a cast of thousands whose determination and hard work have created a legacy of increased prosperity and economic confidence that will be with Merseyside for generations to come.”

The new terminal will include facilities for passengers using Mersey Ferries, a new visitor attraction and an external deck facing the Three Graces.