Initial plans for a new £50 million cruise terminal in Liverpool have been given the go ahead.
The new facility at Princes Jetty on the River Mersey would include passport control, a lounge, café, toilets, taxi rank and vehicle pick up point.
A further £32 million would be set aside for upgrading the A565 to support the new terminal and a £20 million link road to the waterfront is also planned.
Liverpool City Council won permission to dismantle redundant buildings at the site and won outline permission to build a terminal.
Detailed plan for the terminal are due to be submitted later this year.
Head of city assets Angie Redhead said: “This is a major step forward for the multi-million pound project which is one of the city’s most important regeneration schemes.
“We’ve seen the benefits of the existing cruise terminal, which brings in around £8 million each year to the local economy. This figure will increase significantly when we have the ability to welcome the next generation of super liners all year round.
“This has the potential to create thousands of new jobs, will see thousands more visitors heading to the city, and we look forward to working with the team of experts to bring to life these exciting and transformational plans.”
More than 60 ships carrying about 120,000 passengers and crew used the existing terminal at Princes Parade in 2017, the council said.
Plans for a terminal at the historic Cunard Building in the city were scrapped four years ago due to the costs involved.