New plans for Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock revealed following £40m sale

The new owners of Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock have revealed their plans to further develop the iconic site into one of the ‘most exciting leisure and cultural destinations’ in England.

The dock was put up for sale last July, with an asking price of £50m. It was eventually  snapped up by developer General Projects and investment company Neo Capital for around £40m.

The new owners say they intend to add new restaurants, pop up shops and even hold concerts on the 375,000 sq ft complex, which is made up of the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings in England.

"Whether it’s floating concerts in the summertime, live screening of sport events, food markets, we want to bring a whole range of different ever changing things to the dockside,” General Projects chief executive Jacob Loftus told the BBC. “So there is actually a reason for people to want to come here ten times a year rather than just twice".

Since it first opened in the 1840s as dock warehouses for global trade, the Albert Dock has undergone huge regeneration to transform it into one of the UK’s leading commercial leisure and cultural assets. The dock now welcomes about six million visitors per year.