Liverpool FC hit with pushback on Anfield Road shutdown
A decision has been deferred on granting the football club permission to permanently close a stretch of the highway following its stadium expansion.
The item was considered at Liverpool City Councils planning committee this week, a session that saw approvals granted for the Claire House hospice’s makeover and a Lidl store in Croxteth – with a chunk of housing on the remainder of this former fire station site teased at the meeting.
The application and pre-meeting opposition
LFC’s application was one of two parts. Firstly, the club wants to alter a condition attached to use of the stadium form summer events, giving it more flexibility. The existing consent insists on a “respite” period for the local community throughout July, a condition the club wants to alter to a movable 31-day period. This in itself came under some fire at the meeting.
The more controversial part of the bid, however, is the closure of Anfield Road behind the expanded stand of that name within the stadium.
Added to the application after the initial submission, this required further consultation ahead of the meeting, and was opposed by three councillors, including both Anfield ward councillors.
In all, the item was discussed for around an hour and 40 minutes at the session, with the outcome being a deferment pending a site visit and further investigations.
The condition relates to the requirement that the realigned section of the Anfield Road route, now in the private control of LFC, must be fully reopened after the works, as a condition of the Anfield Road End stand’s expansion.
Designed as more of a plaza-style area as part of the redevelopment, it has never reopened to vehicles, although it is open to pedestrians and cyclists.
Those opposed say that closing the road to cars inconveniences residents and clogs other roads, with Cllr Billy Marrat stating that the continued closure “backtracks” on the earlier agreement.
LFC has in its corner Merseyside Police, which supports the bid on the bases that the current national security threat level is “substantial”.
Officers agreed, recommending approval on the basis that “the rerouting of traffic was found not to have substantial impacts on journey times or volumes of traffic in the surrounding streets” along with the enhanced security aspect.
How the committee session played out
The case was made at the meeting that the road has now been closed for five years. There were strong feelings though that the community has been taken for granted and the planning conditions taken lightly, at best.
Cllr Marrat was a prominent voice in the meeting, calling the application “a complete betrayal of local residents”.
Although voicing broad support for how the infrastructure should support Martyn’s Law, a piece of legislation dating from the aftermath of the Manchester Arena attack around protecting venues from terror attacks, Cllr Portia Fahey, representing neighbouring Everton North, referenced the tight angles of the reconfigured highway, and the lack of road markings, “which leads me to conclude there was no intention of reopening to vehicles”.
The security aspect of the application was a point of contention, with members questioning how risk assessments had been carried out, and how threat levels had come to play such a central role in the recommendation to approve.
Summing up, committee chair Cllr Tom Cardwell said: “What we’ve been presented with feels like a fait accompli. There looks to have been a complete breakdown of trust between community, councillors and the club itself, and that pains me to say.
The councillor said that LFC has “some serious work to do – these people are your neighbours, and you need to develop an understanding of a shared vision that clearly doesn’t exist. I’ve never seen such a complicated situation where a community has been so completely walled out of the process.”
Despite that, the chair proposed approval, a motion that was quickly dealt with when a proposal was made and instantly seconded for deferment, with a majority voting in favour.
Documents relating to the LFC application can be seen on the LCC planning portal with the reference 24F/2963.
Should close Walton Breck while they are at it and relocate the pubs with a large re-development of the Kop. Public money from the source Utd are getting should pay for the road redevelopment plus rail infrastructure on the Bootle Branch to cope with the increase in crowd numbers.
By Anon
If proof were ever needed that LFC view being in Liverpool as an historical accident rather than key to their identity, their treatment of residents around their stadium tells us all we need to know. Everyone knows they’d move to Oslo or Dublin if circumstances allowed.
By St Domingo
As regards LFCs plans it was always predictable that there would be local opposition to the closure of Anfield Rd and though the club is a great moneyspinner for the city this idea has not gone down well.
This just shows that LFC should’ve moved into Stanley Park when they had the chance as that would’ve given them ample room for a new stadium of 80,000, plus spin offs like hotels and fan zones on the current Anfield site.
By Anonymous
The Stanley park site was 60k max.
By Anonymous
Honestly, I don’t think the closure of Anfield Road has made much difference in the area. Big bad Liverpool eh.
Anfield stadium needs to be much bigger. I wonder of Liverpool will get similar funding like United are rumoured to be getting????
By Anonymous
Liverpool need a new stadium once Man United move to 100,000 “Wembley of the North” the club will fall behind and so will the city
By Peter
@ 2.42pm, don’t get this Wembley of the North business, we have a Wembley and it’s in London and that does the job being the national football stadium.
The FA built the current Wembley at great expense and are still paying the debt I think.
We have plenty of good sized stadiums around the country, including Anfield, where England can play friendlies etc and share the entertainment around, there’s more to England outside London than Manchester.
By Anonymous
Once more a very thin planning committee agenda, what is happening in our city, where are the big investors. We have projects the city council has been putting forward for years but nothing happens eg Kings Dock site including the multi storey car park destroyed by fire, Williamson Square, Moorfields, Chinatown, etc
By Anonymous
Classic LCC this, acting as a barrier to the city’s biggest cultural asset. When are they going to make some progress with Anfield Square as well?
By Anonymous
Everton fans inside the council opposed
By Paul
Everyone knew this temporary road closure was scotch mist the locals knew lfc knew and the council knew. Why does everyone seem surprised. Does not make it right though. Locals lied to.
By Anonymous
The terror threat level has always been substantial it’s has never been lower since it came into being used so that should not be considered
By Anonymous
I live a few streets away the road closures caused nightmare, cars and vans parked creating blocked views. Its a Risk to cars. Also a plan for roundabout makes sense but the road we are forced to come out from is dangerous. Betrayal again liverpool stop abusing residents. We never get a break and you want more concerts yet you don’t hire many locals any more either. So what benefit does the stadium actually hold for the area.
By Anonymous
The club had always intended to keep the road private. Caused chaos in the local area for ages but people have adapted. Cant see the club giving up but sly move once again
By Local
All those calling LFC the height of evil take a walk down County Road now EFC have abandoned the area.
By Anonymous
St Domingo …concentrate on your own club and football websites.
By Anonymous
Great comment by anon at 1.32 pm. Local everton biased councillors ..well done. God help the local hospitality business etc if Liverpool moved
As well. Grow up all and see the benefits for the area and the city of liverpool.
By Anonymous
@Anonymous 1.32pm Everton have abandoned the area? Goodison Park is being used by the club’s Women’s Premier League team, with a high school, a social hub and offices also adjacent. Stop talking rot.
By St Domingo
@st Domingo. Yeah because about 2k fans every 2 weeks is really sustaining business in the area.
By Anonymous
I am puzzled why people think Everton FC has a responsibility for the competitiveness, performance and health of private businesses in Walton. It is no more directly responsible for that than it is for the emerging businesses around its new stadium.
The fact that it voluntarily supports a huge range of community initiatives in L4 through its Everton in the Community branch seems conveniently lost on people. EiTC is held up worldwide in the football industry as the exemplar for how a club can use its organisational heft and brand appeal to deliver social good. LFC’s foundation was years behind the curve and the club’s real view of its neighbouring community has been eloquently called out by Liverpool’s planning committee.
By St Domingo
@ So now your true colours are coming out. Everton leaving has killed an already economically deprived area that was the price paid for moving. Live with it.
By Anonymous