COST OF LIVERPOOL’S SOUTH PARKWAY PROJECT DOUBLES TO £32M

LIVERPOOL’S new transport hub, South Parkway, looks set to cost £32 million — double the original price.

The inter-change, built in Garston on the site of former football team South Liverpool FC, is due to open in the summer.
When the project was originally launched in 2000, it was estimated that the cost would be £16m. Latest estimates from official government sources say this has escalated to £32,171,00, according to the Liverpool Post newspaper.

More than £6.3m of the cost has come from the public sector — the government and European Objective 1 funding.

A spokesman for Merseytravel explained to the Post: "Liverpool South Parkway will be a world-class gateway to Merseyside and it is a totally different proposition from what was originally envisaged when the original funding bid was put together in 2000.

"It will be fully accessible and fully sustainable, meeting the highest quality standards.

"Although initially more expensive, these standards ensure a more sustainable future for the building.

"For example, the roof is comprised of 30% of recycled aluminium, which has been specially designed to collect rainwater and save 700,000 litres of water every year.

"The collapse of Railtrack just as the project was being put together caused huge delays, as did adverse weather conditions which caused flooding on site.

"The price of steel, which is the major component of the project, has risen by 40%, and Liverpool South Parkway now has a full bus interchange and better cycle and parking facilities that were not part of the original concept.

"The project cost has had to bear the brunt of these issues, but there is no doubt of its value and importance as a world-class gateway to Merseyside and a vital link to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, which is becoming increasingly important to our regional economy.

"The project is fully funded through the Merseyside Local Transport Plan, the Department for Transport, Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Land Development Company and through the Objective 1 programme."

SOURCE RAILNEWS