A planning application has been submitted by IBI Taylor Young on behalf of the city council for a new £40m exhibition and events centre in Liverpool.

The 170,000 sqft building will contain approximately 90,000 sqft of exhibition space plus a 113,000 sqft, 200-bed hotel and a bridge linking the site with the existing Arena and Convention Centre (ACC).

The proposed location of the new building at Kings Dock is owned by the Homes and Communities Agency. The council hopes to have the site finished by spring 2015 and in its first year of operation it is expected to host about 50 events and attract some 250,000 visitors.
ACC chiefs estimate that the exhibition and event programme will support 1,300 jobs in the wider economy and contribute around £40m in economic benefit a year to the Merseyside area.