Everton stadium unanimously approved
The club has taken a huge step towards realising its ambition to relocate from Goodison Park to a 53,000-capacity stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool, after councillors brushed aside heritage-related concerns and granted the scheme planning consent.
Heritage protection charity Historic England and others had called for Liverpool City Council to refuse Everton FC’s plan to build a new stadium due to the “substantial harm” the scheme could cause the waterfront conservation area by infilling the listed dock.
Despite this, the council’s planning officers last week recommended that the scheme be approved and subsequently granted it planning approval today. The application still requires final sign-off by the Secretary of State.
Planning officer Peter Jones said Liverpool waterfront’s World Heritage status “should not act as an embargo to development” and members of the planning committee agreed that the benefits the £500m stadium would bring to the city far outweighed any harm it might cause.
The topic of development in and around Liverpool’s docklands and wider World Heritage Site, has sparked much debate among those who believe Liverpool’s Unesco status is good for the city and those who believe it holds back its growth.
Speaking at the planning committee meeting, Kirkdale councillor Joe Hanson labelled Historic England’s objections “insulting” and praised Everton FC for its proposals and approach to public engagement.
In an impassioned speech, Hanson said the stadium, part of Peel L&P’s Liverpool Waters development, would have a huge positive impact on the people and economy of Liverpool and the wider North West region.
Steve Radford, leader of the Liberal Party Group, rubbished Historic England’s suggestion that redeveloping the listed dock would be harmful.
“Mothballing the site causes harm. Putting heritage sites to economic and viable use is how you give historic buildings a future,” he said.
Meanwhile, Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “For anyone serious about regeneration in North Liverpool, [the decision to approve the plans] was a no-brainer.”
Main contractor Laing O’Rourke hopes to start construction of the stadium this spring subject to final approval from Secretary of State for housing, Robert Jenrick.
Pattern Design is the sole architect for the project going forward after Meis Architects, which drew up concept designs, was dropped from the project team last summer.
Planit-IE is the landscape architect for the project and CBRE is the planning consultant.
This is great news
By Anonymous
Glad to see this getting built and hopefully kickstart regeneration that end of the Dock. No good having massive sites like that sit empty to ‘preserve heritage’. Lets hope the plans for Goodison are as good as the stadium – from the Red side of the City.
By 19&6
Good week for the club all in all. Difficult to call what the SoS might do but, you’d think they’d favour no call in. Just because of their ideological outlook and the whole post-covid build back better agenda. The heritage argument just looks absurd – the club has steamrollered it.
By Bob Allatt
Everton could improve the historic home they have had since 1892. A place of more cultural importance and saving even more heritage both ways.
By Bixteth Boy
Fantastic news for the City Of Liverpool.
By Ben
Of course it was approved – it’s the councillors who do the approving, and in those terms the council is no different than it was a year ago.
Who knows. Maybe it’s a valid, worthy project. But a lot of us, residents, businesses and investors alike, will never again be able to feel confident that the right decisions have been made for the right reasons until the council is changed.
This is why Liverpool needs a broom: we can’t trust that anything good will happen here until it sweeps clean. Confidence is fundamentally holed.
By Jeff
Heritage shouldn’t even be a factor. These docks were built and rebuilt over hundreds of years. Even the 3 graces stand on docks reused.
I believe in looking after heritage assets but the docks have been evolving over decades and ought to be allowed to evolve and Everton’s stadium is a new dynamic use that will bring enjoyment and investment to the city region.
Go on Liverpool take your opportunities to change and deliver for your communities.
By TJL
A future icon for our famous waterfront, it’s going to look fantastic.
By Anonymous
I hope now kicks UNESCO into the ditch. We don’t need their stinking badges.
Problem now is, who came up with that design? Farmer Giles?
By Gary
About time we had some decent news for Liverpool !
By Rod
A momentous day in the history of Liverpool’s resurgence. This new Waterfront stadium is overwhelmingly supported in the city and in the city region. 96% of consultees were in favour and support is solid regardless of football allegiance or even interest in football. This will be a huge post-covid recovery boost to the northern side of our city and to the city region as a whole.
By Red Squirrel
The biggest development in the North ,Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters
By Anonymous