ISG, the company that built the velodrome for this year's Olympic Games, has been hired to construct the £40m Exhibition Centre Liverpool, with work due to finish in spring 2015.

The new facility – which will be at Kings Dock and form part of ACC Liverpool, home to the BT Convention Centre and Echo Arena – will create 1,300 jobs, will measure 8,100 sqm and contain three exhibit halls, as well as an upscale hotel to be developed by Liverpool City Council. No hotel brand has yet been announced, and when construction is finished, it will mean the ACC Liverpool will have 15,225 sqm of exhibition space.

ISG is due to submit a planning submission for the exhibition centre and hotel next March, and it is hoped that construction will commence next autumn on what Liverpool officials claim will be the “only purpose-built interconnected arena, convention and exhibition centre in Europe.”  The Council also states that “funding for the facility is being raised through borrowing supported directly from revenue generated by the centre.”

David McDonnell, chairman of ACC Liverpool, said: “Exhibition Centre Liverpool will see us extend our capabilities and allow us to welcome hundreds of thousands of additional visitors to even more events. Appointing ISG will help us develop this exciting project. We are confident that the company will deliver a fantastic venue that will contribute hugely to the development of Liverpool Waterfront.”

Pictured: David McDonnell (right) with ACC Liverpool’s chief executive Bob Prattey (left) and ISG’s Jim Parker (middle)