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Liverpool wins approval for £67m Kings Dock development

Plans have been approved to create a £40m exhibition centre in Liverpool alognside a £27m integrated hotel at Kings Dock.

Ambitious plans were given the green light this week after a meeting between the city’s planning committee.

Work for the 8,100 sq ft, three hall trade and consumer exhibition centre will start in late Autumn 2013 alongside construction for a 200-room ‘headquarters’ hotel, which will be part of ACC Liverpool, which is also home to the BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “This is fantastic news for Liverpool. I’ve pushed this project hard from the beginning, because I know the huge economic benefits it will bring to our city, attracting new visitors, boosting local business and creating jobs.

“This decision from the planning committee means we can now press ahead with delivering an absolutely world class waterfront development.

“Exhibition Centre Liverpool and the integrated hotel will allow us to build on the massive success of ACC Liverpool, and will drive our transformation into one of Europe’s leading destinations for large-scale conferences, exhibitions and events.

“It’s a huge boost for our city and yet more evidence that despite the recession, we continue to forge ahead with delivering important regeneration schemes. I’m looking forward to construction getting underway.”

The facilities are expected to open in the Spring of 2015, with the new Exhibition Centre Liverpool capable of hosting large events, concerts and exhibitions on a national and international scale.

The centre will include an atrium, meeting rooms and a business centre, while the three halls will be 2,700 sq m, separated by movable walls.

The four star hotel will be branded by Pullman, and will include as much as 10,500 sq m of floor space and seven storeys.

Pullman, which is owned by international hotel company Accor,has hotels all over the world, including all the major European cities, but currently only one in the UK, in St Pancras, London. Branded Hotel Management (BHM) was appointed as hotel operator in April this year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .