Dock transformation to create 1,500 new jobs

Around 1,500 new jobs could be created in the first phase of a transformational redevelopment of Liverpool’s King’s Dock waterfront (September 1st).Wirral-based business The Contact Company is working with landowner Liverpool City Council and development partner YPG to build new offices on land at Monarch’s Quay.The new complex would be in addition to the company’s existing sites in Wirral and would house some 1,500 new employees who will be required to service the growing business.A planning application for the building was submitted Thursday August 31st.Subject to consent, it would represent the first phase of a major mixed use development which would create a new leisure, commercial and retail destination on the King’s Dock.The planning application also includes the design and delivery of new public realm adjacent to the Queen’s Dock.The Contact Company would expect to open the doors of its new office by the end of next year. The building would be four storeys high and a total of 45,000 sq ft of Grade A office space.Further phases of development of the site could include a 2,000-seat ice rink, a hotel, new apartments and homes, restaurants, bars and shops and a car park. A new Winter Garden, new public realm, ten pin bowling and an innovative virtual reality leisure centre are also being considered.Hundreds of additional jobs would be created in the further development phases and during construction.The partners behind the development will be undertaking public consultation on all future plans.The Monarch’s Quay site is already allocated for mixed use development in the Liverpool Unitary Development Plan, which has been widely consulted on over a number of years and dictates acceptable uses and design principles for the site.Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said the overall plans would represent a major boost for the city in terms of jobs and new leisure facilities.