A multi-million pound investment is to be made into Wirral's maritime and logistics infrastructure. Peel Ports Group has confirmed it will fund a £10m redevelopment of the Eastfloat Terminal at Birkenhead port.
Under the new scheme, the terminal will be completely redeveloped, creating around 300,000 sq ft of indoor and 160,000 sq ft of outdoor storage capacity. The works, which will take place over the coming years, will significantly expand and modernise the site's warehousing and cargo-handling facilities according to the firm.
The terminal will continue to be operated by Peel Ports Logistics, the group's dedicated logistics division. The post is in close proximity to the Port of Liverpool, which is just 7km away and also owned by the port operator.
As part of the major redevelopment of the site, the refurbished terminal will serve markets across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and overseas. Peel said the upgraded facility will handle a diverse range of cargoes, including bulk, steel, timber, containerised cargo, heavy lift, project cargo, and renewables and offshore equipment.
A dedicated container handling and devanning operation, offering both indoor and outdoor storage, is already in place. Operations will be supported by a dedicated on-site logistics division, providing a complete service offering from vessel chartering right through to final delivery by road.
Investment in new plant and machinery for the Terminal is also well underway – including the installation of a new Liebherr 180 crane – and development opportunities are being explored across the site, including the potential for two cement silos with a total capacity of 14,000 mt. Seb Gardiner, managing director, Peel Ports Logistics said: "This investment reflects our commitment to bringing the Eastfloat Terminal back to life – we are both restoring its heritage and transforming it into a vibrant, modern logistics hub.
"The Mersey region is firmly at the heart of º£½ÇÊÓƵ trade, and restoring Eastfloat will allow us to keep meeting the demands of the most complex and challenging cargo movements." The wider Eastfloat area was part of the wider Wirral Waters regeneration scheme with several residential and commercial developments being built or in the process.
Among these included the creation of a series of new homes built around East Float. They were built by Urban Splash and delivered to Wirral by road.
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