Liverpool City Council sets out Anfield plans
A consortium led by Liverpool City Council has unveiled its vision for Anfield which includes more than 500 houses, shops, offices, a 10,000 sq ft “food hub” in Stanley Park and continued promises of a new stadium from Liverpool FC.
The consortium, which includes Your Housing Group, Liverpool Football Club and other partners, is now seeking the public’s views of the plans which also include a 100-bed hotel that would train young people.
The council says the proposals could amount to a £260m investment – which includes the new stadium – and create 700 long-term jobs.
The regeneration area of Anfield Village/Rockfield covers 861 houses and was part of the previous government’s doomed Pathfinder housing market renewal initiative. That ground to a halt in 2011 after being axed by the coalition, leaving hundreds of boarded up homes in Liverpool and elsewhere.
The council and Your Housing have a £40m plan to retain and renovate 562 properties and demolish 299 – 186 of which are already vacant. The expansion of Anfield would require the demolition of a further 72 houses.
Residents and others are being invited to provide feedback on the plans over the next six weeks. Detailed proposals will then be drawn up and there will be further consultations before plans are submitted next year. The various projects will be delivered over the next five years.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said: “It is essential that people understand that what we are unveiling today is a range of Anfield-wide regeneration ideas and concepts which we are confident can be delivered but which we genuinely need to hear people’s views on.
“We believe the plans are exciting and will deliver a step-change in quality of life for many thousands of people and be of major benefit to the city not just Anfield. But residents, business people and others may have other opinions and their own brilliant ideas.
Liverpool FC’s managing director Ian Ayre said: “The unveiling of this vision for the wider regeneration of the Anfield area is another important step towards transforming the area for the better. The club has a track record of working successfully with Liverpool City Council and others to drive forward improvements to the area, having made a major investment towards the transformation of Stanley Park.
“We are looking forward to working with the partnership and playing a part in the development of the regeneration vision and we strongly encourage local residents, businesses and community groups to get involved in the process and have their say.This is also an important milestone as we seek to investigate the feasibility of expanding our stadium. We will continue this work, which is just one part of the wider Anfield vision, however, and there is a great deal of work still to be done to bring those plans to fruition.
“We have always said that any stadium expansion will be subject to detailed feasibility studies and the community and home owners’ support which includes our ability to purchase the land for the proposed expansion. Any expansion is also subject to the club being able to navigate the planning landscape and we are pleased to say that very positive progress is being made.”
