Liverpool SuperPort Committee takes shape

FRANK Robotham, the former group marketing director for Peel Ports, has been appointed as chairman of The Mersey Partnership’s Liverpool SuperPort Committee.

He will be joined by deputy Peter Nears, who is the strategic planning director for Peel Holdings. Both roles, which are unpaid, will run for an initial term of 12 months.

The development of the Liverpool SuperPort aims to improve intermodal freight and passenger facilities between the ports, airport, road, and rail network, making the Liverpool city region a key distribution and logistics hub for the north.

A SuperPort has been identified by The Mersey Partnership as one of the areas of economic activity where the city region can improve its economic performance, along with culture, the low carbon economy, and the knowledge economy.

Research commissioned by TMP suggests a SuperPort could provide an extra 26,000 jobs and an additional £1bn GVA a year for the city region.

Mr Robotham said: “The concept of the SuperPort embodies the many building blocks in place already – infrastructure, trade and an experienced and dynamic community with significant skills and resources, which sets the Liverpool city region apart from the rest of the country. I am delighted to be given the opportunity to work with TMP and lead the new SuperPort Committee to help accelerate the potential of the region as a SuperPort.”

Mr Robotham, who has over 30 years experience working in port development, was responsible for setting up Liverpool Freeport in the 1980s, He is a also a director of Mersey Maritime.

Mr Nears has worked for Peel for more than 20 years and has been responsible for managing development schemes such as the port and airport expansions. He has been part of TMP’s SuperPort steering group for more than two years.

The pair will appoint people from key businesses to the SuperPort Committee over the coming weeks.