LIVERPOOL’S new look Pier Head opened yesterday after almost two years of works to revitalise the area in front of the city’s famous Three Graces.

The £8m scheme features a new canal link, high quality paving, new lawns, an area to stage events, and feature lighting to make it attractive at night.

It is centred around the new link to the Leeds Liverpool canal which will open in spring 2009 with narrow boats entering the centre for the first time.

The northern section of the revamped Pier Head will open at the end of next month and the area around the new ferry term-inal, which is under construc-tion, next spring.

Liverpool Council leader Warren Bradley said the public realm work was of superb quality to match the Three Graces, adding: “I think it is fabulous.”

He said the emphasis on the scheme had been to achieve qual-ity to match the Three Graces.

“Schemes like this are part of the vision of changing percep-tions of Liverpool – and we are changing perceptions.”

He said the public realm work would be complemented once the new ferry terminal, new Museum of Liverpool, and three granite “wedges” being constructed on Mann Island were complete.

The project was managed by British Waterways with Balfour Beatty Engineering as contractor.

Richard Longton, project man-ager for the canal link, said plan-ning was already under way for a major celebration to fully open the canal in spring.

It will feature a flotilla and Mr Longton said there was a great deal of interest in being on the first canal boat to use the link.

“We’re really pleased with the work, it looks really good. The Pier Head is two-and-a-half times the size of Trafalgar Square, and now it looks fantastic again.”

He was particularly pleased with the canal basins that have been carved into the landscape providing seating for visitors.

davidbartlett