Council unveils plan to buy Cunard Building
LIVERPOOL City Council has announced plans to buy the Cunard Building on the waterfront.
It wants to relocate council staff from two other offices and also use the building as a cruise liner baggage handling and check-in centre once again.
It said this would cut the council’s accommodation bill by £1.35m a year and generate annual rent of £1.75m. The cost of the building, and the identity of its current owner, were not disclosed.
The plan would negate the need to build a permanent home for the Cruise Liner facility, which is currently housed in a temporary structure, said the council.
As part of the plan the council would sell Millennium House on Victoria Street, with staff moving to the Cunard Building or vacant offices within Municipal Buildings on Dale Street, and exercise a break clause in the lease on the 10th floor of The Capital building on Old Hall Street. This would allow around 100 Liverpool Vision and Marketing Liverpool staff to relocate to the Cunard Building.
Mayor Joe Anderson said: “This scheme will save the council a considerable amount of money, reduce the number of sites we occupy in the city centre and create a fantastic facility for the ever-growing number of cruise liner passengers coming to the city.
“This is an iconic building on the city’s world famous waterfront and this opportunity to purchase the leasehold will deliver significant benefits and secure the future of the building. We will not just use it as an operational base for our staff, but also as a place to host receptions, events and other functions, showcasing the city to potential investors. And it will be fitting to return the building to its original function as a place where cruise liner journeys begin and end.”
The cost of the purchase of will come from the council’s reserves. The building is currently owned by the Merseyside Pension Fund, the local authority pension scheme for the area.
