Club will reveal new designs in July as it embarks on a second consultation process ahead of submitting a planing application for the £500m docklands stadium later this year. Tony McDonough reports
Everton FC will reveal the latest designs for its proposed £500m new stadium in Liverpool’s northern docklands during the summer as it embarks on a second public consultation.
This is the second stage of a formal process and feedback from this consultation will be included in the planning applications for both sites, which are on track to be submitted before the end of the year.
Majority support
More than 20,000 people took part in the first consultation on ‘The People’s Project’ with the overwhelming majority backing the proposed move to Bramley Moore Dock, part of Peels Liverpool £5bn Waters site, and the redevelopment of Goodison Park.
Everton has already revealed that it is targeting a capacity of 52,000 for its proposed new stadium, with the potential for it to rise to 62,000 in the future. It wants to kick off at the arena at the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
The next consultation, which will run between July 26 and August 25, will seek the views of members of the public on the latest design concepts for a waterfront stadium, demonstrating how the club will address the historic context of the Bramley-Moore Dock site and outline plans for the future of Goodison Park.
Views from people on transport, accessibility and environmental sustainability will also be sought. Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Everton’s chief executive, said it is crucial that as many people as possible give their views during the forthcoming consultation.
Golden opportunity
She explained: “This is a golden opportunity for our club to deliver real and tangible transformational change for our city. This is a capital project that will deliver much more than a new home for Everton Football Club. It is a critical, civic regeneration project, that will create jobs and opportunities for more than 15,000 people across our city region.
“Our proposals will drive the city’s inclusive growth agenda and, in addition to our stadium spend, kick-start a £650m investment into regenerating our northern waterfront.
“The People’s Project benefits our entire city region and therefore we would encourage as many people as possible – and not just football fans – to take part in our public consultation exercise so we can hear their views.”
Stadium development director, Colin Chong, added: “At the consultation in July and August the club will reveal much more detail about both parts of this project, consult on the design concepts for the stadium and how it will respect and complement its historic context, as well as the scale and type of development in L4.”