Breakthrough for £23m Maritime Knowledge Hub project

A decision by councillors in Wirral has provided a critical breakthrough for plans for a £23m Maritime Knowledge Hub (MKH) on the banks of the Mersey that will create 4,000 jobs in its first five years, according to Liverpool Business News.

First announced at London Shipping Week six years ago, the MKH project will provide a national base for marine engineering research and development as well as skills training and business accelerator space.

The 60,000 sq ft facility would be built around the Grade II-listed 19th century hydraulic tower building, a copy of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, close to the Birkenhead waterfront in the Wirral Waters development.

Wirral’s Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee has now agreed to recommend the Wirral Waters Investment Fund be approved for investment into the Maritime Knowledge Hub.

The council is moving forward with agreeing a 250-year lease on the hydraulic tower and investing in its redevelopment. The MKH will be a world class centre of excellence for maritime business growth and sector development, bringing together the region’s key maritime assets in business, research, education, and training.

The project, which is within the Wirral Waters Enterprise Zone, will be designed to create an environment for maritime businesses and university provision to locate, and for a range of skills to come together from these organisations to help drive new products intended to significantly advance the growth of the sector, reports Liverpool Business News.

“Mersey Maritime and its members have backed the Maritime Knowledge Hub project from the outset,” says Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive of industry body Mersey Maritime, which has been one of the leaders on the project

“We know that delivery of it is absolutely integral to the future of both our industry and the regeneration of this important site at Wirral Waters. Securing the funding agreement is a significant point as we drive the project forward which very much feels like it is gathering the momentum and further strategic backing that it requires.

“Innovation, new technology and decarbonisation are big themes in the maritime industry at the moment and they have the potential to deliver highly skilled jobs, economic growth and prosperity for our area in the years ahead.”

Read the full article online.

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