Sefton approves Maghull Football Club expansion

The sports team will increase the capacity at its ground off Tommy Gent Way to accommodate 200 more spectators.

Sefton Council approved Maghull Football Club’s plans to expand its existing home at a planning meeting on Wednesday. This decision was made in line with officer recommendations.

The club wants to build two covered stands at the site to provide 100 seats and standing room for 100 spectators.

Proposals also include the creation of two covered dugouts and a turnstile entrance.

These changes will allow the club to be permitted by the FA to play in the next tier of local football if they were to finish at the top of the league. The team could therefore “qualify for promotion in future seasons”, according to a transport statement.

Maghull FC took residence in 1954 at the five-acre site, which does not currently provide any covered pitchside viewing.

The application was approved despite receiving almost 200 objections. Local residents raised concerns regarding potential noise and light pollution, the visual appearance of the scheme, and traffic fears.

At the same meeting, National Grid’s plans to level its redundant six-acre site on the corner of Litherland Road and Marsh Lane in Bootle were deferred to allow to the opportunity to explore alternative, sustainable transport options.

The project team for Maghull FC’s expansion includes Prime Transport Planning, Lumosa UK, Tyrer Ecological Consultants, and Peak Associates.

To learn more about the plans, search for application number DC/2023/01007 on Sefton Council’s planning portal.