Business and academic figures back Everton’s stadium plans

Everton stadium location

Leading business and academic figures from across the Liverpool City Region have joined forces to support Everton’s bid to build a new stadium on the city’s waterfront.

The Goodison club is proposing to create a new ground at Bramley Moore, a derelict dock site just north of the city centre.

Their £500m stadium would help generate thousands of jobs and rejuvenate an under-used area of the city, as well as provide a legacy for the Walton community with various initiatives outlined for its current stadium in Liverpool 4 when the club relocates to its new home.

Everton has commenced a public consultation period across the region, canvassing the views of people on the proposals, which have been dubbed a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity.

More than 20 senior figures from the region have today (November 20) published an open letter in support of the plans.

They include Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company and chair of Liverpool Visitor Economy Network, Chris Brown, director of Marketing Liverpool, Paul Cherpau, Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce chief executive, Sue Grindrod, chief executive of Royal Albert Dock and chair of Liverpool Waterfront Partnership, John Hall, chief executive of Professional Liverpool, Prof Gerald Pillay, vice chancellor of Liverpool Hope University, and Max Steinberg, chief executive of regeneration body Liverpool Vision.

The letter reads:

“The city of Liverpool faces a once-in-a-generation chance to deliver new opportunities and jobs with the creation of a new riverfront stadium for Everton Football Club within Peel Land and Property’s Liverpool Waters.

“Our organisations, which together represent many of the city’s businesses, are working hard on behalf of the city to foster economic growth and wellbeing and believe this is an opportunity which must be grasped.

“The launch of Everton’s public consultation into its plans is, therefore, an important opportunity for us to show why we are supporting the club’s proposals.

“We understand that some may have concerns because the stadium’s proposed location is within Liverpool’s World Heritage Site (WHS) and this public consultation will help initiate those discussions.

“We firmly believe, however, that any concerns will be outweighed by the long-term and substantial benefits that will be delivered by the stadium and can be allayed through high quality, sympathetic design and a deep appreciation of the physical and cultural qualities of the site.

“Bramley-Moore Dock is an under-utilised and partially derelict site with no access to members of the public.

“Everton’s plans would bring this site back to life, creating tens of thousands of jobs, including training and apprenticeships for the youth of the city and the city region, and would accelerate the regeneration of the North Liverpool Waterfront, becoming a hugely important asset for the city, along with the Ten Streets area.

“The plans would also lead to the creation of new community-focused assets in Liverpool 4, that would both directly and indirectly benefit some of our poorest neighbourhoods. The positive impact of the stadium would, in fact, reverberate across the entire city region.

“We believe it is essential that Everton Football Club remain in Liverpool. And we think that Bramley- Moore Dock, part of Peel Land and Property’s Liverpool Waters development, is the right location for the stadium.”

It concludes: “Everyone in Liverpool, regardless of their footballing allegiance, should back the plans. They are right for the business community, right for our residents, for the city and for the City Region. Please support them.”

Click here to sign up to receive our new South West business news...
Close