Uncertainty surrounds the future of the Wheel of Liverpool, which stopped turning this week after the owners went into administration, but rescue talks are being held which could save the attraction.
Great City Attractions Global Ltd has been placed in the hands of G2 Insolvency administrator Jason Groocock, with Liverpool’s Ferris wheel no longer offering a bird’s eye view of the city.
A spokesman for ACC Liverpool, the company that owns the Echo Arena and Convention Centre, told the Liverpool Echo: “From what we understand the parties are working towards an outcome which we hope will mean the wheel will be operational again in the near future.”
The big wheel first appeared in Liverpool’s historic skyline in the autumn of 2009 in Chavasse Park at Liverpool One, acting as a centrepiece to the city’s Christmas celebrations. In its own way, it came to symbolise Liverpool’s rebirth as a tourist destination following the European Capital of Culture year in 2008.
The 60 metre-high wheel, with 42 capsules, was moved next to the Echo Arena for Valentine’s Day 2010 where it has remained since, providing tourists with the opportunity to view the River Mersey and UNESCO World Heritage Site waterfront from a different perspective.
The future of the remainder of the six wheels owned by Great City Attractions Global Ltd is also unknown, however their other two wheels located in the UK, York and Plymouth, are both still in operation, as is the company’s largest wheel, the 165 metre-high Singapore Flyer.
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Pictures by Vegard Grott