Best New Car Park: Kings Dock, Liverpool

British Parking Awards 2021

On New Year’s Eve 2017, a blaze tore through the Liverpool Echo Arena car park on the city’s waterfront, destroying almost all of the 1,305 cars parked inside. The next day, Liverpool City Council turned to construction company Willmott Dixon for help in securing the burnt-out structure. Willmott Dixon then led a £3.6m demolition project, assisted in the creation of a temporary multi-deck car park to serve the arena and then constructed a permanent replacement, the new £30m Kings Dock car park.

With a striking façade, eight floors and capacity for 1,453 cars, the new car park provides spaces for visitors to ACC Liverpool, the riverside events, convention and exhibition centre, and to the historic waterfront. The Kings Dock car park was built is on a vacant site adjacent to the ACC Arena, which makes better use of the land. It is also visually better, as the old car park had been in front of the arena, blocking it from view.

Constructing the car park involved reconfiguring road layout to improve traffic flow during large events. Adding to the challenge were a tight completion timeframe and unforeseen issues on the new site, from uncovering a BT exchange hub to unearthing the Grade 2 listed dock walls which were of archaeological interest.

With the old car park needing to be replaced very quickly, a steel-framed option with metal decked floors and precast core was deemed the most suitable solution to meet programme and budget. Designed using a vertical circulation module (VCM) system, the car park has both primary and secondary entry and exit routes. The secondary routes serve vans and provide an extra layer of resilience if needed for cars to leave quickly. Given the car park’s role serving an events venue, it features more staircases than usual to accommodate large numbers of people entering and leaving within short timeframes.

To reflect the Merseyside setting, laser-cut aluminium panels with an abstract design inspired by sailing ships were used to clad the whole façade, while the brickwork mirrors that of the local historic dock buildings. With the car park standing on the banks of the Mersey, the cladding is finished with enhanced powder coating for protection and durability.

The payment system has been designed to align with the car park’s purpose. It is set up to ensure that high volumes of traffic in a short period of time can rapidly enter and exit. It also caters for longer duration parking, such as for those staying in the area, and for vans servicing events and exhibitions.

External pedestrian walkways ensure segregation from vehicles. Each floor is accented in a different colour, including the lifts, with stairwell feature walls and walkways making it easier for people to remember where they parked. Signage was designed collaboratively with the council to make sure it was user-friendly.

The first floor includes 16 electric vehicle charging units providing rapid or trickle charge as required, with the infrastructure designed to allow this number to be increased. For convenience, EV charging can be pre-booked online. Dedicated parking for motorcycles has been provided, as well as 50 bicycle spaces.

The car park is staffed 24/7 all year round and features 250 CCTV cameras, while help points are located at all barriers, pay stations and stairwell lobbies on every floor.

Fire safety provisions are based on four people per car rather than the normal two people. The staircases are wider than usual, with an additional set to reflect the building’s size. A fireman’s lift and extra entrance and barriers have been included, and a sprinkler system installed.

Roy Tunstall, Liverpool City Council’s divisional manager, parking services, says: “I think it’s the best-looking car park in the country. You would think it’s a retail centre, it’s that smart and impressive.”