A NEW £7m landing stage is going to be built on the Pier Head to replace the one that sank in a storm.

Savage weather wrecked the old pontoon in March, 2006.

Now Merseytravel has commissioned construction giant Balfour Beatty to build a new one.

Mersey Ferry passengers have been using a temporary pontoon since the last one was destroyed.

Last night, Merseytravel chief executive Neil Scales said the stop-gap stage was not “world-class” and he was keen to see it replaced.

He said: “We want an iconic building, so it will be world-class. The Skyline pontoon that’s there now doesn’t look the business at all. It does look like a temporary structure and we’ve always wanted something world-class.”

The new stage should be completed in summer, 2011, and Merseytravel says it will be built to complement the new ferry terminal. Mr Scales said the designs will not need planning permission because it will be a direct replacement for what was there before.

It will be directly opposite the ferry terminal, cutting the distance passengers have to walk to alight ferries.

Half the cost of the new terminal will be met using European grants, with Merseytravel paying the balance along with a contribution from Mersey Fire and Rescue Service, whose rescue boat will be based there.

Crowds of sightseers watched the previous landing stage sink in 2006. It had carried passengers since opening in 1972 to replace the century-old Princes Landing stage.