Everton go public as new £500m dockside stadium moves a step closer

Everton’s new waterfront home on the banks of the Mersey moves a step closer to a spade in the ground next month with the launch of the formal public consultation into the club’s proposals.

Plans to develop Bramley-Moore dock, two miles from Goodison Park, were first mooted in 2016, with a 200-year lease on the site agreed a year ago. The scheme, given the working title ‘The People’s Project’, is the signature development in the club’s broader regeneration of Liverpool L4, which includes plans to repurpose Goodison Park for community use.

How the new stadium might look, and indeed, how Goodison might be revamped to include new homes, businesses and educational facilities, will not be known until applications are submitted next year. The three-week consultation period, beginning on 15 November, marks the formal start of that process and builds on soundings already taken in the community.

Heritage

The ambitious scheme, estimated to cost £500m, represents substantial investment in the city and, according to Everton chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, demonstrates the central importance of football to the community and its links to the city’s industrial port heritage.

“The rich history and connections between the old docker community and the city’s football family are inseparable. A move to the city’s North Docks will be very poignant for many of our supporters who will have had family members work there and will give them a chance to enjoy a part of cultural Liverpool that has not been open to the city for decades,” she said.

As well as trumpeting the new palazzo, Barrett-Baxendale, who held meetings in New York this week with stadium architect Dan Meis, is understandably keen to highlight plans for the old place, which has been home to Everton since 1892.

Jobs

“We have deep roots in L4 and are committed to building on the extensive investment we have already made in the area. We are preparing plans to redevelop the existing stadium site to create facilities which will benefit the whole community, creating jobs and improving lives.”

Expert opinion suggests the new build and redevelopment of the old site could be worth as much as £1bn to the local economy with the creation of as many as 15,000 jobs. Iain Jenkinson, senior director of international property advisory firm CBRE, said: “The new stadium development would have a huge positive impact on the city’s North Docks and areas including the Ten Streets.

“The People’s Project will deliver employment, training and cultural opportunities for families living in some of Liverpool’s and the UK’s most deprived wards. Our research shows that the two developments together, at Bramley-Moore Dock and Goodison, will deliver once-in-a-generation benefits to the whole of the Liverpool city region.”

Capacity

Funding details are yet to be finalised. A reported £280m Liverpool City Council loan will meet a chunk of the costs with the club and institutional investors stumping up the rest. A decision on the new stadium’s capacity will be reached after the consultation process.

Stadium Development Director Colin Chong said: “Our proposals are about to enter a new and very important stage as we begin this formal public consultation period. We and our advisers are stepping up our dialogue with a range of stakeholders as we progress our designs. We know everyone is very keen to see images of what the stadium might look like and we look forward to sharing them next year.”