Peel Holdings is to review the options for its projected £42m Britannia Heritage Park after defence secretary, George Robertson opted for Leith instead of Manchester as the final berth for the Royal yacht Britannia.
Robert Hough, deputy chairman of Peel Holdings said: “The whole Heritage Park site will now have to be re-examined. The Heritage Park was planned alongside Britannia, part of three sites which together told the story of the Northwest. Britannia was seen as an integral part of that story. Britannia isn’t going to come to Manchester and therefore we are going to have to re-examine that site and the whole of its use.”
Hough said the company would seize the opportunity to bring another world class attraction to Manchester as part of the Manchester Ship Canal corridor regeneration. “But you can’t create these opportunities – you have to go for them when they arise. If these opportunities are extraordinary and exceptional and add value to the region we will pursue them. People say we have lost. We haven’t. We will try again.”
Hough said it would be premature to identity what would or could replace Britannia, but added that Peel was fully committed to two other schemes at the site – a sports and racquets centre and a five-a-side football and sports retail centre in association with JJB Sports.
EGi News 14/04/98
