Plans for £15m cruise ship terminal in Greenock revealed
- Published
How the front of the proposed Greenock Ocean Terminal will look
Plans for a £15m terminal complex to welcome cruise ship passengers to the Clyde have been unveiled.
The berthing facility, visitor centre and restaurant in Greenock includes a purpose-built art gallery celebrating the work of sculptor George Wyllie.
Greenock Ocean Terminal could attract £26m extra spending to the economy, according to Inverclyde Council.
More than 150,000 passengers could pass through the hub which is being funded by Glasgow City Region City Deal.
The new berthing facility and visitor centre will be operated by Peel Ports, and the new restaurant will have panoramic views across the Clyde.
'Significant contribution'
Inverclyde Council leader Councillor Stephen McCabe said the restaurant and Wyllie Gallery would provide a year-round attraction for visitors to Greenock and Inverclyde.
"As a key City Deal project, the new visitor centre at Greenock Ocean Terminal aims to make a significant contribution to economic growth and international tourism across the wider city region area," he said.
"Just a few weeks ago, the eight city region councils and our partners launched a new tourist strategy and action plan which aims to increase visitors by one million by 2023."
Glasgow-born Wyllie, who died in 2012 at the age of 90, gained international acclaim for his works Straw Locomotive and Paper Boat.
More than 150,000 passengers could pass through the hub every year
The artist, who later lived in Gourock, also created art for sites in Aberdeenshire and Rannoch Moor.
Wyllie's daughter, Louise Wyllie, said: "It has always been an ambition of The George Wyllie Foundation to celebrate and mark my father's life and work in Inverclyde; an area which he loved and which was the lifeblood of all his art works.
"This exciting development at Ocean Terminal in Greenock marks a sea-change in the Foundation's on-going voyage to mark his legacy as a ground-breaking artist and to make more people aware of his life's work."
The £14.7m cost of the Greenock Ocean Terminal project is part of the £1bn Glasgow City Region City Deal which is funded equally by the Scottish and UK governments.
The proposal for a new visitor centre landmark building for Greenock is being developed by awarding-winning Richard Murphy Architects.
The planned completion date for the visitor centre is Spring/Summer 2020.