Land price could force redesign of Manchester United stadium
Foster + Partners’ three-pronged canopy design, a nod to the trident of the Red Devils, could be swapped for a more simplistic model as a result of uncertainty over land costs, according to media reports.
According to a report in The Athletic, refreshed plans for Manchester United’s 100,000-seater stadium are now being hashed out. Place North West approached the club for comment.
The football club’s £2bn pitch for ‘The Wembley of the North’ suffered a setback in August due to a reported £350m chasm between its valuation of the land next to the existing Old Trafford stadium and that of its current owner, Freightliner.
Freightliner, which is in the process of being taken over by CMA CGM, valued the railyard surrounding Old Trafford at £400m, a far cry from United’s £50m valuation.
Acquiring the land would allow Manchester United to proceed with its preferred option of a new-build stadium, but without it, those plans would be scuppered.
The 250-acre rail freight terminal is considered a key area for the mixed-use redevelopment of Old Trafford. Credit: Google Earth
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has previously suggested compulsory purchase powers could be used to free up the land needed for the regeneration project if a deal cannot be agreed.
At the stadium’s unveiling at MIPIM 2025, with designs by practice Foster + Partners, Manchester United’s chief executive, Collette Roche, said that despite land assembly not being finalised, she did not consider the announcement of plans a risk.
Manchester United had expected work to start on site by the end of 2025, though minimal progress has been made towards that deadline.
Despite early designs by Foster + Partners being unveiled, the club has yet to hire a final stadium architect.
It was probably too bold for the area, Old Trafford / Stretford is not Dubai or the US
By Anonymous
It would be a shame to have to compromise the design (I actually like it).
By Cyril
The project management of this has been unbelievably shoddy
By Anonymous
Is anyone surprised by this?
By Scapegoat
Surely heads of terms for the land purchase would have been agreed prior to the main announcement?
By Anon
The canopy design was always likely to be subject to value engineering either because of the land value or building inflation. I expect even more changes as the project progresses.
By Anonymous
A shambles on and off the pitch.
By Tom
“Manchester United’s chief executive, Collette Roche, said that despite land assembly not being finalised, she did not consider the announcement of plans a risk” – how is it not a risk? It’s really scary that CEOs of huge organisations are so wrong!
By Old Faithful
Welcome to Britain, where anything ambitious is watered down to the point, where there is nothing remotely impressive about it. This country is an embarrassment when it comes to big projects. They should have allowed the Middle Eastern bidders, the job of running United, people who aren’t scared to spend their own money.
By Elephant
Andy Burnham is choc full of bad ideas.
By Verum
Great news, that mega Circus must of been a marketing ploy no way were they seriously contemplating that
By Anonymous
I wonder why CMA CGM is buying Freightliner? Wealth creation or wealth extraction?
By Anonymous
They should have thought ahead and bought the freight hub.. before launching the designs and the Birmingham base business that owns it being sold to a company in ..Liverpool..being bad at business like this.. doesn’t look good for making this work.
By DOH!
So that is the 90,000 jobs and several thousand jobs out the window. Massive hole in the masterplan. Amateurs.
By Anonymous
Burnham’s naivety in thinking he can use CPO powers to hammer down the book value of land in private ownership.
By Anonymous
You would of thought they would of bought the land needed before releasing the master plan. Silly really.
By Anonymous
Imagine announcing those plans before agreeing legals with the landowner. Talk about giving away leverage.
By Mr Mcr
Poor project management. Either their or Freightliners’ land valuation was drastically wrong. Assuming MUFC got it wrong were they hoping the landowner would accept whatever offer was put on the table? Or do they want Andy Burnham to buy it under compulsory purchase powers because “it is in the public interest to do so”?
By Anonymous
Too bold? If you know your history, Old Trafford was the Dubai of it’s day with the Manchester Botanical Gardens and Art Treasures expo. And what do you think was in Dubai before they built skyscrapers on it? A lot of sand.
Bradford gas works didn’t look great pre-Etihad either did it? Nothing wrong with thinking big.
All that said, this is entirely unsurprising and disappointing the VE process has kicked in already…
By Anonymous
Quelle surprise 😒
By Anonymous
Never going to happen. Ineos must have some amazing employees who have made the business what it is because Jim Radcliffe appears clueless in business. Andy Burnham is also now busy burning all of the bridges he had and better hope it all works out for himself or the ridiculously so labelled Wembley of the north will exist in the minds of deluded Man utd fans only.
By Anonymous
Strategic error… Andy chasing headlines screwed the land deal, not the first time this has happend
By Juan more
I think they should expand the stadium
By Anonymous
Absolutely wild that very costly design work can advance to a point without any seemingly realistic concept of land value / ownership. £50m for a key piece of significant rail infrastructure does seem unrealistically low, especially given the costs involved of relocating to and delivering the new terminal in Newton-le-Willows… time to swallow pride, and ground share with Alti for a few seasons whilst it all happens on the existing site.
By T.D.Smith
Fancy announcing your property ambitions before actually acquiring the land. Stupid doesn’t do it justice. But then it never really was about the real estate project. It was about doing something shiny to entice investors.
By Anonymous
Anyone else surprised by this? No, thought not.
By Riley N
Burnham’s fingerprints all over this, too busy promoting himself to do his day job competently.
By Anonymous
Another embarrassing situation for the club as if we needed any more!
Why on earth did INEOS announce such a bold project for the regeneration of the stadium and the surrounding area before purchasing the land outright?
The old phrase of ‘cart before the horse’ comes to mind
Get a grip JR!
By Anonymous