The new Liverpool landing stage will not open before 2022, almost a year behind schedule and likely over its already increased budget.

Infrastructure Minister Tim Baker provided an update on the scheme to Tynwald this week where he said Covid and issues with the site had delayed work and that it is still being calculated how over budget it will be.

Due to be open in February 2021, the new terminal was first put back to July next year and is now due to be completed in January 2022.

Mr Baker told Tynwald that the biggest problem this year has been the Covid-19 pandemic and the two national lockdowns which have been enforced in England this year, bringing the building trade to a near or complete standstill.

He said: ’Prior to the second lockdown, Liverpool as a city region was placed into tier three measures which brought its own particular restrictions on the movement of people and materials.

’Despite these restrictions, the construction site in Liverpool has remained open but due to the introduction of Covid secure measures, productivity has inevitably been greatly impacted.’

These measures have meant key personnel have been unable to work on the site due to their own isolation requirements and the difficulty in accessing materials when they are needed, which is proving difficult throughout the construction industry.

Mr Baker added: ’There have also been other major challenges within the site itself, not the least the adverse ground conditions encountered and the architectural artefacts uncovered.’

In the last month the work has been completed below ground and the commencement of foundations for the main terminal building is underway. Meanwhile the infilling required on the existing dock will be completed next year.

Liberal Vannin leader Lawrie Hooper pushed Mr Baker to outline what the delay and extra work encountered would do to the cost of the scheme.

The Minister said: ’The spend to date has been £15.3m against a budgeted figure of £19.3m, the original project budget was £38,054,000.

’When forecasting final spend to completion above the original budget, we’ve got further work to do and that work is underway. However the project design team is already warning the department to expect the final outcome costs to be further impacted because of the Covid-19 lockdown in England.’

In 2015, the Steam Packet said Peel Ports would invest £15m in a replacement facility for the ageing Pier Head terminal - but would require a long-term financial commitment from the ferry operator.

But then the government got involved and the Manx taxpayer is now footing the entire bill. The site was bought at Princes Half-Tide Dock to allow for the building of a new Isle of Man ferry terminal.

A 2016 report to Tynwald estimated the total cost would be in the region of £25m. In the 2018 Budget the cost was put at £30.5m and in November 2019, the cost was estimated at just over £38m.