Liverpool's cruise terminal opening delayed "to 2023"

Liverpool had been attracting a rise in cruise ship passengers before the pandemic

Construction on Liverpool's new cruise terminal is set to be delayed again, with council officials saying it could be completed in 2023.

A plan for the site on Princes Dock, which aims to host the world's largest super liners, was approved in 2018.

It had been delayed already and the council said last year it would open in 2022, but now says it will be 2023.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reports that Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic have contributed to the delay.

The terminal will be built on a derelict site on Princes Dock

The council has come under renewed pressure from the Green Party to cancel the project in the wake of the pandemic.

It argues that the terminal clashes with the city's climate goals, and is a risky investment given the virus's impact on the travel industry.

The council has said that it is working to limit pollution and that the terminal would boost the local economy.

The new terminal is expected to boost the city's tourism reputation

The number of passengers entering through the current terminal had been rising and the council hoped the new terminal would boost that expansion.

However the pandemic has had a huge impact on the cruise industry, with Liverpool losing out on most of the £14 million that cruise ship visits were estimated to have generated for the city this year.

The new terminal has long been seen as a key project for the council, with Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson hoping it would help cement the city's reputation as a tourist destination.

Plans for a terminal in the Cunard Building were scrapped in 2014, because of an estimated cost of up to £15m.