The forthcoming adventure attraction has announced plans to relocate its Adventure Terminal for customer check in and kit up to St Johns after taking onboard a variety of opinions.
The new plans minimise the impact of the attraction at Central Library and provides a further boost to St Johns Shopping Centre.
Zip World is spending £5million on the adventure attraction and creating over 30 new jobs for the city.
The original plan was to house the Adventure Terminal for customers to check in ahead of their adventure experience, within the Central Library building.
This will now be located at St Johns Shopping Centre which will dramatically reduce the presence of Zip World at Central Library. Riders will continue to land on the new rooftop of the library but they will be escorted out the premises via the service lift and return to the Adventure Terminal.
Those visiting Liverpool city centre to experience the attraction will now be kitted up at a new location in St Johns which will further increase Zip World’s already significant investment in the shopping centre.
Overall the company is investing approximately £5million into the adventure attraction and is creating over 30 new jobs. Zip World is projecting that the attraction will boost visitor numbers to the city by around 300,000 when it opens next year.
Andrew Hudson, Commercial Director at Zip World, said:
“Zip World chose Liverpool above other cities because of its historic connection with North Wales, the home of the current three sites and 13 adventures.
“Zip World Liverpool will be a real first because we are creating the fastest urban zip line in the world which will put the city on the international tourism map yet again.
“However, whilst the overall reaction, especially from retailers and businesses in the city has been incredibly positive, we’ve listened to a variety of opinions and that is why we have taken the decision to relocate the kit-up area to St Johns Shopping Centre which will significantly reduce any impact on the Central Library.
“This new plan also increases our investment in St Johns. We will now have a shopfront in the shopping centre which will give a further boost to other retailers. We’re incredibly committed to having a brilliant relationship with the people of Liverpool. We are excited to be delivering Zip World Liverpool which will be yet another innovative attraction that will keep the city fresh and forward-thinking.”
Frank McKenna, chairman of Downtown Liverpool in Business, added:
“Liverpool faces the prospect of monumental job losses, shops closing and reduced footfall due to the recession so now is not the time to be pushing against something that will bring real value and benefit to hard-pressed local retailers. Zip World is doing all they can to satisfy people and do something really positive for the city. Yet we’ve got the usual suspects complaining as they do when anything exciting and outside the box is proposed. They need to stop or we face the prospect of companies investing in other cities over ours.”
