New Hull City Council leader Mike Ross has said his Liberal Democrat administration wants to steer a proposed new cruise terminal away from The Deep.
The £73million initiative was one of the previous Labor leadership’s flagship regeneration projects with a potential berth on the River Humber between The Deep and the Victoria Dock estate. A municipal contract worth £200,000 was recently announced to carry out specialist drilling to test the condition of the river bed sediments in the area where the floating dock is currently proposed.
Speaking today, Councilor Ross echoed previous concerns raised by bosses at The Deep over the proposed location and added: ‘The current proposal for the cruise terminal site is not at our behest of the day.” He said his party had been clear while in opposition at the Guildhall that alternative berths along the estuary would have to be considered.
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He explained that his new administration was working with council officers to understand all the details of the cruise terminal project, its current timeline and the possibility of changing course if necessary. He said he was also keen to consider the funding required for the project and where most of it was to come from.
“We are not against the idea of a cruise terminal for Hull, but not at the current proposed location. People at The Deep have raised concerns about its potential impact on the animals there, but I think there are other issues that need to be considered, including whether there is really enough space out there for a development like this.”
(Photo: Richard Addison)
He said he had yet to see a properly costed business case to support the development and hinted that other major council building projects underway would also be subject to further review by his cabinet. “I’m not saying we’re going to review the whole capital program, but we’re going to look at what can be changed, what can go to plan and what needs to be changed. There’s a process to go through and that’s something we intend to do in the next few weeks.”
In the Radio Humberside interview, he reiterated his promise made at the council’s annual meeting last week to hold an emergency roads summit to discuss the pressing transport issues facing Hull, including congestion on key roads and the deployment of bus and cycle lanes across the city. . He also said he was looking forward to meeting Hull City owner Acun Ilicali and his team to discuss the board’s future relationship with the club and issues relating to the MKM stadium.
He added: “I think there is an exciting future for the football club and the stadium with potential for further development there. If that happens it’s important to make sure it not only benefits to the clubs that play there, but also to the community at large.”
Asked if he felt safe in the town centre, Cllr Ross said a visit to see a production at Hull Truck this week left him ‘aware’ of the problem as he left the theater and acknowledged that many people did not feel safe at night in the area. . He added: “Actually what struck me the most was how quiet it was.
“There has been a lot of investment in the town center in recent years but apart from Hull Truck and the New Theater it was very quiet. We need to do more to attract more people to the town center for more good reasons because having more people there will make it safer for everyone.”
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