LIVERPOOL council has made a formal bid to the Department for Transport to allow the Pier Head to become a start and finish base for cruise liners.

The DfT has to give its approval before a “turnaround” facility can be provided at the £20m Cruise Liner Terminal because of a £9m grant from the European Union that helped fund it.

The Daily Post can reveal government officials travelled to the city last month to inspect the facility. It is hoped that an initial response could be known as early as September.

The news comes as a new coach park is being set up to relieve traffic chaos at Liverpool’s Pier Head cruise liner terminal.

It will avoid officials having to implement complex arrangements to make sure cruise passengers can be picked up by coach.

Last night, enterprise and tourism leader Cllr Gary Millar said it was part of the council’s continued effort to make sure cruise liner passengers were thrilled by their visit to Liverpool.

Liverpool’s £20m cruise liner terminal was opened in the autumn of 2007, and last year 14 ships called at it, bringing in 18,500 passengers with a benefit of £1.3m for the local economy.

A council report states: “Each cruise ship visit in 2008 can be considered successful, although operationally extremely challenging to deliver, due to restricted physical space on the shore side.

“The general consensus from cruise ships and passengers has been extremely positive regarding the destination and location of the cruise berth, the feedback regarding the coach and passenger flow has been less so.”

It is hoped the coach park could also be used as a support area for the Mathew Street Festival, and provide a base for film-makers in the city centre.

Plot 11, owned by developers Peel, will be leased by the council for £25,000 a year. The lease will expire at the end of March, 2011, but with an option to extend.

Cllr Millar said: “When coaches arrive, they often have to park by the Crowne Plaza and you get a lot of congestion around the area.