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Stadium Locational Report
On behalf of
Everton Football Club
November 2007
Savills (L&P) Ltd
12 Windsor PlaceCardiffCF10 3BY
(029) 20 368920(029) 20 [email protected]
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CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Everton Football Club Requirements
3.0 Liverpool Football Club Assessment
4.0 Liaison with Liverpool City Council
5.0 Overview of Sites
6.0 Conclusions
Appendix 1 – Alternative Site Location Plans
Appendix 2 – ‘Bestway’ Overlay
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1. INTRODUCTION
This report has been produced on behalf of Everton Football Club in connection with
the proposed new stadium at Kirkby, in Knowsley Metropolitan Borough. This report
sets out the background to Everton Football Club’s (EFC) consideration of various sites,
which has also included development of their existing stadium at Goodison Park
In setting the scene for this report, it is important to highlight a number of key issues
which are relevant:
1. Everton Football Club identified that the existing Goodison Park stadium was not
suitable for future requirements some ten years ago and the operational
deficiencies, redevelopment constraints and private implications have continued
to reinforce this conclusion. (see Section 2.0)
2. Concurrent with Everton Football Club’s need to identify an alternative location,
has also been the parallel exercise undertaken by Liverpool Football Club (LFC).
LFC did not consider that their existing stadium at Anfield (close to Goodison
Park) was capable of providing the capacity and quality of accommodation to
allow them to remain competitive. LFC have concluded, and this has been
accepted by Liverpool City Council and the Government Office for the North
West, that the proposal at Stanley Park represented the only location amongst all
the sites considered in the City which satisfied their needs. These conclusions
have been reiterated with further update work undertaken during Summer 2007
by LFC. (see section 3.0)
3. Everton Football Club have been approached by a number of developers and
landowners in recent years, particularly following the withdrawal from the
proposed re-location to King’s Dock in 2003. EFC have also considered a
number of the same sites as assessed and discounted by Liverpool Football Club
(see point 2 above) since Spring 2006 when the proposed Kirkby opportunity was
presented to them. This stimulated further dialogue with the City Council, prior to
EFC signing an exclusivity agreement on Kirkby in late August 2006. No
appropriate alternatives were identified by the City Council during this period.
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EFC’s ballot of supporters in Summer 2007 further stimulated comments
particularly from Liverpool City Council, regarding potential alternative locations.
It is clear that the consideration of sites has been a major area of analysis in recent
years in connection with both EFC and LFC.
This report provides an overview in section 2 of some of the current deficencies with
Goodison Park, and by comparison sets out a list of requirements that EFC consider to
be essential to allow the Club to remain competitive at the highest level of the Premier
League and in European Competitions.
In section 3 we briefly consider the locational analysis undertaken by Liverpool Football
Club, given the fact this analysis has been accepted by the key decision making
authorities. Section 4 provides an overview of the discussions with Liverpool City
Council, with particular reference to sites identified in 2007. Section 5 provides anoverview of a number of other sites suggested and our conclusions are set out in
section 6. The appendices referred to in the text are contained at the end of the report.
This report should be read in conjunction with the Alternative Sites Assessment
produced by DPP (Document 8.3) which analyses a large number of alternative sites in
order to satisfy the sequential tests set out in PPS 6. This report aims to complement
the Alternative Sites Assessment by concentrating on the sites that have been put
forward as alternatives to retain Everton within the Liverpool City Council administrative
boundaries.
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2. EVERTON FOOTBALL CLUB REQUIREMENTS
This section highlights a number of the deficiencies in connection with the current EFC
stadium, Goodison Park, in terms of operational compromises, the failure to maximise
potential revenue streams and also, very importantly, the difficulties in the future of
providing the potential for further expansion. This section also highlights the list of
criteria which the Club believe they need to satisfy with any new stadium proposal.
2.1 Goodison Park
Goodison Park has been the home to Everton Football Club since their move from
Anfield in 1892. Goodison Park was the first major football stadium built in England.
The ground was subject to a series of improvements over the first twenty years
including a new Bullens Road stand, a double-decker Park End stand and a large main
stand on Goodison Road. The latter survived until 1971.
Another double-decker stand was constructed in 1926, replacing the original Bullens
Road stand. The Gwladys Street stand was completed in 1938. At its peak the stadium
housed over 78,000 spectators.
The stadium was held in such high regard that it held five games in the 1966 World
Cup, which was second only to Wembley in the number of World Cup games staged
that year.
The double-decker main stand on Goodison Road was demolished in 1971 to make
way for the three-tiered Main road stand which is in place today.
The Safety of Sports Grounds Acts came in effect in 1977 which had the effect of
reducing the capacity of the stadium from 56,000 to 35,000. Everton upgraded outdated
entrances and exits in order to recover some of the capacity. In 1986 the capacity was
53,419, of which 24,419 were seated.
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The Taylor report resulted in the need to convert the stadium to an all-seater stadium in
time for the 1994/1995 season. The Park End Terrace was the only area that was not
made all-seater following the Taylor Report, but this was delayed due to the intention to
re-develop it. The current Park End stand was completed in September 1994.
Following the completion of the Park End stand, Everton’s capacity was 40,100, which
was the largest top flight club ground in England at that time. Since then the capacity
has been overtaken by a number of Premiership Club’s including Manchester United,
Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester City and Sunderland.
Whilst the stadium was once amongst the best in the Country, the age of the stands
and the constraints of the area around the stadium have meant that the stadium has
become outdated and has been overtaken by a number of grounds which have been
the subject of redevelopment and relocation in the last two decades.
The Chief Executive of the football club has identified that the following operational
deficiencies of the ground;
o 10% of the Stadium seating has an obstructed view if the goal area;
o Approximately 12,000 of the 40,000 seats (30%) have an obstructed view of
the playing area.
o Poor Car Parking facilities within the vicinity of the stadium;
o There is no lateral movement within the stadium;
o Three sides of the stadium are on the public highway which equates to poor
access and movement around the stadium;
o Lack of corporate facilities within all stands, and views of designated areas in
the Main Stand;
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o Lack of Executive Boxes and facilities, each corporate entertainment area is
served by separate back of house facilities due to the piecemeal way in
which it has been developed, which is inefficient;
o Poor press facilities;
o Poor facilities for team and coaching staff (Dressing rooms, Tunnel, Doping
room, Interview areas, Players Lounge);
o Poor facilities for briefing/staff area for match day Stewards;
o No remote ticket collection point, the ticket collection point is too close to the
Visiting Supporters collection point, on night matches this requires an added
police presence;
o Small Concourse area, poor ground bar areas, poor toilet facilities;
o The stadium structure needs constant maintenance, painting and roof repair
work required annually;
o Poor facilities for the disabled;
o Poor TV / Press facilities, (Gantry, TV Commentary area, Press box, Sky
Box, Interview areas, No Press Mixed Zone Area, Camera Positions);
o Lack of office space for the Administration Staff, staff detached from each
other in different areas within the stadium and within the vicinity.
o Dugout area is small, with lack of space surrounding for overflow of staff,
medical staff, press and players
o Poor Entertainment facilities
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In addition to the above, a separate study has been undertaken by KSS Design
(submitted as an appendices to Document 13 of the planning submission – ‘Proposed
Stadium for EFC’) which has looked in-depth at the potential for redeveloping the
Goodison Park ground either wholesale or in phases.
In order to meet the latest Green Guide standards and to work within the physical
constraints of the site, the study has shown that a redevelopment would only result in a
final capacity of approximately 35,000 seats, a reduction in capacity of approximately
5,000 seats compared with the existing situation.
A phased redevelopment; which would result in the loss of up to 25% of the revenue
over the four seasons that it would take to develop; to realise a net reduction in the
overall capacity would clearly not be viable. In any event, a redeveloped stadium would
not meet the requirements of the club considered necessary in order to compete at the
top flight of English football or in European competitions. It would not offer anyopportunity for future expansion and would result in a compromised design due to the
external constraints on the site boundaries. This is discussed further below in the site
assessments.
2.2 EFC Requirements
The importance of high capacity, good quality stadia for clubs to remain competitive at
the highest levels is demonstrated by the significant investment undertaken by a
number of EFC’s competitors, such as Arsenal F.C., Manchester City F.C., NewcastleUnited F.C and potentially Liverpool United F.C. who are all seeking, or have secured,
stadia in excess of 50,000 capacity, with a range of facilities and services which
supporters increasingly expect.
EFC require a new modern stadium with seating and facilities designed to meet the
latest Green Guide recommendations; an overall image commensurate the Club’s
standing and; capable of attracting the best players in the game. With regard to
stadium specifics, EFC’s preferred solution incorporates the following:-
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• 50,000 seats, total capacity – capable of being expanded at a later date up to
60,000.
• 2,000-3,000 hospitality executive boxed seats.
• 60 or more hospitality boxes (8-10 person).
• Top quality facilities for players and team staff.
• Unimpeded views to all seating positions.
• Compliance with the latest ADM/DDA regulations.
• Potential to comply with Champions League requirements.
• Comprehensive match day travel plan.
• Individual iconography particular to EFC.
Crucially, in order to deliver a modern stadium which meets these requirements then
there is the critical issue of funding. Sports stadia represent substantial capital
investment, at a time when there are increasing demands that expenditure is
maintained on securing the best players available to remain competitive. It is essential,
therefore, that funding becomes a key part of any site selection process as the viability
will dictate delivery.
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3. LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB ASSESSMENT
Uniquely, during the last 5-10 years Everton Football Club and Liverpool Football Club
have reviewed their future stadia requirements, both having recognised their existing
Goodison Park and Anfield locations could no longer provide the quality and income
needed to compete at the highest levels of football. In this section we provide a brief
overview of the process which LFC have undertaken.
In Summer 2000 LFC announced their aspiration to secure a new larger stadium,
initially with a capacity of 70,000 spectators. Following a detailed financial review of
capacity options and viability it was subsequently decided to persue a stadium of
60,000 capacity.
LFC explored options for the redevelopment and expansion of its existing ground at
Anfield and concluded, following dialogue with Liverpool City Council, that this optionwould not meet their longer/term requirements and thus, discussion took place with the
City Council and other parties in connection with identifying an alternative location.
Stanley Park was identified by the LFC consultant team, but given the substantial
physical and planning policy objections in proposing a major stadium on a historic park
there was clearly a requirement to consider other options to see if a more deliverable
solution/alternative site could be provided.
It is understood that the LFC process initially identified a dozen or more sites within the
City Council boundaries and it appears that the result of an assessment exercise
looking at availability, suitability, accessibility, viability and deliverability highlighted two
preferred options. These options were Stanley Park and Central Docks.
The Central Docks site, whist being capable of accommodating a major sports stadium,
was also the subject of major redevelopment and regeneration proposals for a large
mixed used scheme from which the City Council and a developer would generate
substantial benefits.
Whilst Stanley Park would not appear to be an obvious solution, given the physical and
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policy difficulties, it is clear that the regeneration potential of the scheme within this part
of Liverpool was considered to be a major benefit which would outweigh the policy
concerns.
LFC submitted a planning application in 2003. When considered at planning committee
in July 2004, the Director of Planning at Liverpool City Council concluded that the
proposal at Stanley Park represented the only opportunity which would meet LFC’s
needs, and that any harm to the historic park and other policy considerations would be
out-weighed by the overall benefits of LFC’s investment and long-term commitment to
this area.
Following the resolution to grant planning permission, the proposal was referred to the
Government Office for the North West, given the scale and major departure from policy
which it represented. The GONW assessed the application considerations, included
the consideration of other sites, and decided in Autumn 2004 not to intervene in theplanning process, such that a decision could be issued by the City Council.
Given the complexity of such a major application, there was a subsequent 18 month
period when LFC were negotiating and finalising the legal agreements which would
contain the various mitigation and community benefits. In Spring 2006, when the
discussions had been concluded on the legal agreements, the director of planning at
Liverpool City Council decided to report the application back to planning committee,
given the length of time which had occurred since the previous resolution, in order to
provide an update on any changes in planning policy and other material considerations.
In Spring 2006 the City Council did not consider there was any further need for LFC to
review any additional sites, or indeed consider a re-appraisal of previous sites, as
clearly there were not considered to be any alternatives available. Therefore, in Spring
2006 planning permission was finally issued for the development of a stadium for LFC
in Stanley Park.
Given the close scrutiny of the Stanley Park proposal over the 3-4 year period by the
City Council; then it was clear there were no other locations better suited to meet the
needs of LFC as a leading Premier League Football Club.
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In 2007 there was a change of ownership in LFC and as a result, a review of how
Stanley Park can best meet their needs for the future has been undertaken. This has
resulted in a major design review in order to ensure that the stadium is capable of
future expansion, and also that the range of facilities available are considered to meet
the needs of their supporters and visitors. A revised planning application has been
submitted to Liverpool City Council in July 2007, and accompanying this is an updated
report which again highlights the fact that there are no alternative locations within the
City Council area (nor indeed the adjoining authorities at Sefton and Knowsley).
LFC’s consultants were specifically asked to consider the ‘Bestway’ site at Scotland
Road, along with the Edge Lane Retail Park in a supplementary report.
Liverpool City Council resolved to approve the application, subject to a legal agreement
on the 6th
November 2007. The Govt Office are currently considering whether it should
exercise its’ powers to ‘Call-in’ the application.
In resolving to grant permission for the scheme, Liverpool City Council have accepted
the fact there are no other alternatives capable of meeting the needs of a Premier
League Club.
The above overview of LFC’s planning process during the last 6-7 years has
demonstrated substantial dialogue between them and Liverpool City Council in
considering whether any other sites would be more appropriate than Stanley Park. The
City Council’s conclusions that no alternatives exist, and the endorsement by the
Government Office for the North West not to intervene in the process provides a very
clear background with which to consider the proposal by Everton Football Club.
An overview of the sites considered by LFC is reproduced and updated in full within the
Alternative Sites Assessment produced by DPP (Document 8.3).
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4. LIAISON WITH LIVERPOOL CITY COUNCIL
The recognition that Everton Football Club need to relocate to a new site in order to
obtain a stadium to meet their requirements has been accepted by all of the key
organisations. This was demonstrated in 2001 when Everton Football Club was
selected as part of a consortium to develop a major mixed use scheme at Kings Dock in
Liverpool. This selection was made by a number of public sector organisations
including Liverpool Vision, Liverpool City Council, the North West Development Agency
and English Partnerships. As already mentioned, the preferred developer and the public
sector were unable to progress these proposals and discussions on a stadium proposal
at Kings Dock ended in 2003.
EFC’s requirement for a new stadium did not change, but clearly the ability to fund the
capital investment, and secure appropriate enabling development was further
reinforced as a necessity. Informal discussions continued with the City Council during2004 and 2005 on a range of club-related matters, which also included the reiteration of
a new stadium for EFC. It is perhaps no surprise that Liverpool City Council were not
able to suggest and promote any potential locations for EFC, as this was the period
during which Liverpool Football Club were undertaking a detailed analysis of sites and
were agreeing with the City Council that there were no satisfactory options available,
except Stanley Park.
In March 2006 when Everton Football Club were approached by Tesco and Knowsley
Council in connection with the Kirkby opportunity, it was clear to the Club that a key
consideration on whether they should pursue this new opportunity, would be whether
any other locations were available within Liverpool City Council. The Club fully
recognised that if they were to pursue the Kirkby proposal then the relocation from
within the administrative area of Liverpool, then this would create a degree of
disappointment within the City Council if Everton’s new home was to be in an adjacent
authority, being within the greater Liverpool area.
Everton Football Club had been advised by Hepher Dixon Planning Consultants (now
part of Savills) since the Kings Dock process, and had been engaged in formal
discussions with the City over a number of years. Hepher Dixon were instructed by the
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Club to liaise with the City Council to identify whether there were any other
opportunities that could meet the Club’s needs. At this time, it was ‘public knowledge’
that the Kirkby opportunity had been put forward.
The City Council and Liverpool Land Development Corporation held discussions with
Hepher Dixon to see whether there were any options worth pursuing. The result of this
process, which also involved the public sector bodies seeking external specialist
advice, resulted in two sites being identified, namely at the Liver Industrial Estate in
Aintree and the Ansa site adjacent to the New Mersey Retail Park in Speke.
Following dialogue on these sites, Liverpool City Council concluded that the Liver
Industrial Estate had ‘major servicing, access and residential problems’, not
withstanding any issues associated with obtaining enabling development. The Ansa site
was considered to be physically well located, but the level of enabling retail
development was considered to be relatively limited, without prejudicing other Councilpolicies. Furthermore, the site had recently been purchased, and therefore any viability
exercise would need to deal with the land acquisition also.
It was clear, therefore, by August 2006 that there would not appear to be any location
identified by the City Council, and its public sector partners, on any regeneration sites
or elsewhere that would satisfy the Club’s needs. As a result of this dialogue, which had
been considering sites over a five month period, then Everton Football Club concluded
that, in the absence of any alternatives within the City Council area, it could move
forward to sign an Exclusivity Agreement with Tesco and Knowsley Council in order to
investigate the Kirkby opportunity further.
No further dialogue was held with the City Council in connection with any other sites,
until July 2007, following the Club’s announcement of the forthcoming ballot of
supporters in connection with the proposed move to Kirkby. At this stage, the City
Council had indicated that a new opportunity had arisen on a site owned by Bestway
(also known as ‘The Loop’ and ‘The Tunnel Trumpet’). The two other sites which were
referred to in the press at the time were the Liver Industrial Estate (previously
dismissed by the City Council a year earlier) and the depot site on Long Lane. During
Summer 2007, and coinciding with the Club’s ballot, the City Council indicated their
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support for the Bestway-led scheme.
Savills advised Everton Football Club that the Bestway proposal appeared to be
undeliverable as:
• there were concerns regarding the availability of sufficient land to accommodate
a stadium and associated enabling development;
• that the main site was unsuitable for a 50-60,000 capacity stadium;
• that accessibility would be very difficult and expensive to resolve and;
• the resultant high infrastructure and stadium capita cost would mean that the
proposal could not be viable.
These views were relayed to Bestway and the City Council in discussions and this
remains our conclusion. A more detailed analysis of the Bestway site is contained in
Section 5.
Following the Club’s ballot and the announcement in late August 2007 that the Club’s
Board of Directors had a mandate to continue negotiations with Tesco and Knowsley
Borough Council, the City Council have reiterated their view that 3 opportunities remain
available for Everton Football Club to consider within the City, namely the Bestway site,
a redevelopment and expansion of the Edge Lane Retail Park and also the
redevelopment of Goodison Park. To date, no information has been presented to the
Club with regards to any masterplan, appraisal or programme to justify the comments
about the ‘deliverability’ of these.
Everton Football Club are sympathetic to the City Council’s concern about the loss of
the Club from within the administrative area. Everton FC have been struggling with the
deficiencies of the existing Goodison Park stadium for some ten years, during which
attempts to find a satisfactory alternative location have been fruitless. Notwithstanding
these difficulties, the Club have remained competitive and have achieved recent high
finishes in the Premier League and entry to European competitions. However, during
this period a number of the Club’s competitors have expanded or relocated to new sites
in order to be competitive going forward. This increasingly places Everton Football Club
at a disadvantage, which will only increase as the failure to find new stadium
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accommodation continues. Indeed, the City Council are very sympathetic to the needs
of the Premier League, as evidenced by their support for Liverpool Football Club’s
proposals at Stanley Park which have now been under discussion for seven years.
Everton Football Club are a commercial business operating in a fiercely competitive
market, where the ability to attract leading players and deliver results on the field is of
primary importance. The proposed relocation to Kirkby has not been undertaken lightly,
nor without extensive dialogue with the City Council, in order to explain the
circumstances behind the decision making. Indeed, the Club have been very grateful
for the dialogue with Senior Executives at the Council over a number of years on
various stadium-related matters.
In conclusion, the dialogue between the Club and the City Council has not been able to
identify a suitable alternative, and the difficulty in addressing this is fully recognised by
all parties.
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5. OVERVIEW OF SITES
In this section of the report we consider the sites which have been suggested by the
Council and third parties since the announcement of the fand ballot in the summer of
2007. The Alternative Sites Assessment produced by DPP (Document 8.3) covers in
depth the sites that have been discounted by Liverpool Football Club City and a number
of other potential sites for completeness.
The approach which Savills have adopted in considering sites has been based upon a
number of factors, namely:
• Availability – this relates to landownership and acquisition costs;
• Suitability – is the site of sufficient size and in an appropriate location to
accommodate a major Football Stadium to be developed to a capacity of 50,000,
but capable of expansion at a later date to 60,000 or more;
• Accessibility – the access and movement strategies are critical to ensuring that
the operational aspects of the stadium runs smoothly;
• Viability – the capital expenditure of a new stadium and its required infrastructure
is very expensive, and thus identifying whether there are any opportunities for
enabling development in order to off-set the capital cost is vital;
• Deliverability – this requires an analysis of the planning process, compulsory
purchase, highways works requirements.
Developing a major Sports Stadium is extremely complicated, expensive and highprofile. No club would pursue an opportunity without having considered in detail the
prospects for addressing the above criteria and how to de-risk the project. The danger
of ‘cost overruns’ and ‘delays’ could be catastrophic, therefore, Everton Football Club
have been cautious with regard to which sites they would enter into discussions on, in
full recognition of the dangers which can arise.
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The three sites which have received particular publicity in recent months, particularly
from the City Council are:
• Bestway
• Goodison Park
• Edge Lane Retail Park
This section deals with each of these sites in turn.
Site Name: Bestway, Scotland Road, Liverpool
Site Size: 4 ha
UDP Status : The site is designated as a ‘Mixed Use Area’ under Policy
E6. The site is considered to be suitable for
Business/Industrial Use.
Ownership Private Ownership – Bestway Cash & Carry
Current Uses: Cash & Carry Business
Planning History There is no planning history relevant to a stadium
development of the scale envisaged.
Site Specific Policy Issues The site abuts the Project Jennifer Site. The implications of
this are discussed below
Site Context The site is surrounded by the slip road linking the A59
(Scotland Road) and the Kingsway Tunnel. The site is
separated from the surrounding land uses by up to 10 lanes
of road in parts. Land to the north is used as an industrial
estate. Land the south is residential. To the west is
residential and open space and to the east is industrial land.
Site Assessment:
Availability
Press releases from the landowners have suggested that the site would be available.
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However, as discussed below, promoters of the Bestway site have suggested that the site
could be enlarged to oversail the surrounding highways and bridge them to provide adequate
pedestrian access and circulation space. The ownership and availability of the land outside of
the boundaries of the Bestway site, beyond the highways, is not known. However, it is likely to
be in multiple ownership and is currently in active use for commercial, residential and public
open space purposes.
Suitability
The site has been assessed by KSS Design and SDG (Architectural and Transport advisors
on the Kirkby scheme respectively) in terms of its physical suitability to accommodate a
50,000 seater stadium.
SDG are the company responsible for transport, crowd flow and evacuation capacity analysis
for the Emirates Stadium, Croke Park, New Wembley, Lansdowne Road and StamfordBridge.
Their considered view is that the Bestway site could only safely house a stadium of around
30,000-35,000 seats.
Promoters of the Bestway site had contended that the recently constructed, 60,000 seater,
Emirates Stadium for Arsenal FC at Ashburton Grove occupies an 8-acre site. As such their
site should be able to accommodate the Everton proposals.
SDG have confirmed that Ashburton Grove is in fact a 25-acre site with the stadium building
itself taking up some 9-acres with a further 8 acres allocated to crowd circulation and access
routes - with the remainder being given over to mostly residential development. The full and
safe stadium operation therefore occupies 17 acres.
SDG have commented on the suitability of the Bestway site as follows:
"Owing to the onerous requirements regarding emergency vehicle access and the exact
evacuation requirements for major sporting facilities, any stadium design must include large
external circulation areas around the stadium to achieve a safety certificate - the licence to
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operate.”
"Should the vast majority (i.e. enough land to accommodate a 50,000 capacity building) of the
'loop' site be developed out into a stadium, it could not meet the key criteria to receive its
safety licence and it could not be opened to the public”
The Bestway site promoters revealed a preliminary scheme to the press, reproduced below.
Commenting on the scheme, SDG stated that:
"To make the design revealed today operate in a safe fashion would prove to be prohibitively
expensive for Everton Football Club because of the necessary and perhaps extensive 'air
right' building construction over highways and the need to provide connecting bridges to
adjacent 'place of safety' areas and adequate pedestrian circulation and emergency vehicle
access routes.”
"All of this would have to be funded at great cost without the benefit of any large retail-led
development that would, in the case of Kirkby, enable the development of a stadium with no
operating/licensing risk to the club.”
"Despite the very wide roads that surround the loop site on all sides the local transport links to
the area are not very good - especially when compared to Kirkby given the raft of local
transport improvements that would come forward with the new stadium there.”
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SDG concluded that the Bestway site is a “complete non-starter for Everton FC unless they
were seeking a site to accommodate 35,000 fans and no more."
KSS Design have carried out an exercise to show the Kirkby proposals overlaid onto the
Bestway site. This is reproduced at Appendix 1. KSS have calculated that the footprint of the
Kirkby building, plus the 20m exterior concourse required for circulation would require a
minimum site area of 5.6 ha, compared with the Bestway site area of 4ha.
In summary, the site is not considered to be physically suitable to accommodate a stadium of
the size required for the Club.
Accessibility
As discussed above, the site is not considered to be suitable accommodate a stadium of thesize required due to lack of the ability to access the site on foot. In order to make the site
accessible, promoters have suggested that pedestrian bridges could be formed over the
surrounding road network. The cost of this option is considered prohibitive as discussed
below.
Viability
As demonstrated above, the restrictive size of the Bestway site means that land for the
enabling development essential to develop a Stadium of this size could not be included within
the site.
The enabling development for the Emirates stadium came largely in the form of new
residential development. However, the land values for residential are not sufficient in
Liverpool for residential development to facilitate a new stadium. Even if sufficient land could
be found outside the boundaries of the Bestway site, development of large scale residential
sites to enable a stadium would jeopardize the HMRI initiatives.
In the Kirkby case, enabling development is necessary in the form of approximately
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160,000 sq. ft. of food retail and 339,000 sq. ft. of other retail development. The Bestway site
is adjacent to the Project Jennifer proposals for a new district centre in the Great Homer St
area. Project Jennifer has outline planning permission for a 115,000 square feet superstore,
and 80,000 square feet of non-food retail stores. This will provide the enabling development
for a regeneration scheme which is a priority for Liverpool City Council and has been for a
number of years.
Any substantial retail development in the area of the Bestway site in order to enable a
stadium development would seriously undermine Project Jennifer, and therefore would be
extremely unlikely to be supported by the City Council.
Notwithstanding the fact that the site is not of a sufficient size for a stadium to meet the Clubs
needs and certainly cannot accommodate any enabling development; if land could be found
around the site for enabling development, the necessary retail scheme would be contrary to
the regeneration aims of the City Council and contrary to planning policy.
The physical analysis of the site by KSS architects has ruled out the site on the basis of it’s
ability to accommodate a stadium of the footprint of that proposed for Kirkby. The views of
SDG are that the site is not capable of accommodating the infrastructure to serve such a
large stadium.
Promoters of the Bestway site have suggested that the site could be enlarged to oversail the
surrounding highways and bridge them to provide adequate pedestrian access and circulation
space.
On the assumption that a bespoke design could be devised to accommodate the size of
building required, the construction costs of bridging potentially 10 lanes of traffic, at different
levels around the site and; providing a development plateau to accommodate the stadium
itself would prove prohibitively expensive. Notwithstanding the constructions costs, the land
acquisition would only exacerbate the viability problems.
Future expansion opportunity is also considered vital to the long term viability of a relocation
of a football stadium. The Bestway site does not offer any option for future expansion of
capacity.
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Given the foregoing, development of the Bestway site for a stadium is not a viable option.
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Deliverability
Delivering the proposals in planning terms would require an acceptance by the Council that
the site could be developed contrary to the adopted Unitary Development Plan allocation. The
stadium will generate employment and therefore it is likely that an argument could be made in
favour of the principle of the land use. However, developing a stadium of the size required
would require additional land take to provide safe access, which may involve compulsory
purchase.
Additional land would also be required to provide the enabling development which is not
readily available, and as reasoned above, planning permission would be very difficult to
deliver given the impact that this would have on Project Jennifer.
The cost and impracticality associated with the pedestrian bridges would prevent the delivery
of a stadium on this site.
Summary
Whilst the Bestway site may be available, it is not considered to be physically suitable to
accommodate the stadium development required by Everton due to its’ insufficient size.
In addition, the site cannot accommodate the essential enabling retail development for two
reasons. Firstly, the site is not large enough to accommodate any retail development.
Secondly, retail development of the size required to enable a stadium would not be supported
under the planning policies of the City Council and, would jeapardise a priority regeneration
scheme in the form of Project Jennifer.
Adapting the site to accommodate a stadium of the size required, through provding circulation
platforms and bridging the surrounding roads to form escape routes, would prove prohibitively
expensive, and compound the already crippling viability problems.
In conclusion, the site is neither suitable in terms of its physical characteristics or viable. The
site itself is likely to be available, although not currently on the market, however, the
availability of land surrounding the site that would be required to accommodate the circulation
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space is unknown.
This lack of potential of the Bestway site to accommodate a large stadium development has
been acknowledged by Liverpool City Council in resolving to approve the new stadium for
LFC at Stanley Park. The consultant team for LFC were specifically asked to consider the
Bestway site as part of the alternative site assessment. It has been accepted that it is not
suitable by virtue of the resolution to grant permission for the Stanley Park site given in
November 2007.
Site Name: Goodison Park, Goodison Road, Liverpool
Site Size: 3.5 ha
UDP Status : The site is not subject to a specific allocation. It is located
within a primarily residential area. In such areas, Policy H4
states that planning permission for residential development
will be allowed. Other forms of development orredevelopment may be granted where there is no adverse
impact on residential amenity or the character of the area
and subject to other policies of the UDP
Ownership Private Ownership – Everton Football Club
Current Uses: Football Stadium – 40,158 Capacity
Planning History The site has been used as a sports ground/stadium since
1892. Various applications have been approved for
amendments to the stands and the car parking areas. The
most significant recent application was the approval of a
new stand at the Park End in the early 1990’s to
accommodate 6,000 spectators.
Site Specific Policy Issues The site lies within a HMRI ‘Zone of Opportunity’. Outline
planning permission has recently been granted for 1300
new homes within the same zone.
Site Context The site is bounded by residential uses to the west/north
and a mix of residential, education and commercial uses to
the east. The southern end of the site is used for car
parking and is adjacent to a dual carriageway.
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Site Assessment:
Availability
The site itself is available as it is within the ownership of the Football Club.
The appraisal of the redevelopment options on site (detailed in full in the Goodison Park
Stadium Redevelopment Report) indicates that the existing site boundary is only capable of
accommodating a redeveloped stadium with a capacity of 35,000, which is over 5,000 less
than the existing stadium and 15,000 less than the preferred option.
The site would need to be significantly enlarged in order to accommodate a 50,000 seater
stadium, which could potentially involve acquiring multiple residential properties, a school,
shops and business’s, in addition to public highways. The site assembly would be likely toprove prohibitive and would be likely to require compulsory purchase, given the large number
of residential properties involved.
Suitability
As detailed in the redevelopment appraisal, the tight constraints of the surrounding area
would limit a redevelopment to only 35,000 seats
If a 50,000 seater stadium could be designed for the site, it would most likely results in
unacceptable visual and amenity impacts due to the proximity of the terraced housing.
An enlarged stadium would result in potential for an additional 10,000 spectators on match
days, with greater impacts on social and environmental issues such as noise and pedestrian
movement through the tight knit surrounding residential streets. This could be contrary to
Policy H4 of the UDP.
The site is of however of insufficient size to accommodate a larger stadium and its related
infrastructure. Enlarging the site is not considered to be feasible and would only compound
problems associated with locating such a large stadium in such proximity to dense residential
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uses.
Accessibility
The site is not considered to be of sufficient size to accommodate the transport infrastructure
necessary to serve the larger numbers of spectators that would be generated. It is currently
accessible and the planned increase of the Football Parking Management Zone associated
with the LFC Stanley Park proposals would mitigate the impact that increased demand for
parking would have on local residents.
Viability
The Goodison Park Stadium Redevelopment Report that accompanies the application looks
at the viability of redeveloping the site.
A redevelopment would realise a new stadium with a capacity of 5,000 less than the existing
stadium. This would need to be carried out on a phased basis, with no enabling development.
As a result, the club would be required to fund the redevelopment with a reduced revenue
stream (approximately 25% over a minimum of 4 years) without the enabling development
that would be fundamental to funding the new stadium.
The redevelopment option is therefore financially unviable to build and; would be unviable in
the sense that it would result in greatly reduced capacity compared with the current stadium,
resulting in reduced revenue streams in the future.
A redevelopment option would not offer any future expansion opportunities, given the already
constrained nature of the site. This harms any long term viability of the redevelopment option.
Deliverability
The practicalities of delivering a 35,000 seat redevelopment would principally hinge upon the
availability to finance the scheme, given that the land use is established, as are the heights of
the existing structures. Financing the redevelopment is not considered viable given the
reduced revenue throughout the redevelopment phases and the lack of enabling
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development.
A 50,000 capacity stadium would be far more complex to deliver. As discussed above, the
additional land required would include public highways and compulsory purchase of multiple
ownership residential/commercial properties. It could require finding an alternative site for a
relocated Primary School to serve local needs. The scale of the new structures required are
unlikely to be appropriate given the dense residential nature of the surroundings.
Consequently, it is doubtful that a planning permission could be obtained.
Summary
The redevelopment option has been shown to be unviable for either a development which
could be accommodated on the existing site or; a 50,000 seater stadium which would require
a larger site involving compulsory purchase.
Site Name: Edge lane Retail Park, Edge Lane Liverpool
Site Size: 15.2 ha
UDP Status : The site includes the allocated Edge Lane Retail
Warehousing Park; as such Policy S11 will protect the
function of the Retail Warehouse park through limiting the
size of units in occupation by individual operators. Use
class A3 will also be restricted.
The north east section of the site includes land allocated as
Rathbone Road Recreation Ground (P89) and falls within
the neighbourhood park hierarchy.
The south east section of the site is allocated for mixed use
development (Rathbone Road / Binns Road), and use
classes A1 (Retail Warehousing), C1, and D2 will be
supported.
Ownership Multiple tenures within the retail park, with Liverpool Land
DC coordinating regeneration within the wider area.
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Current Uses: The site contains a mix of commercial and retail units within
the retail park. A small area of public open space is also
found within the north west of the site.
Planning History Recent notable applications include proposals for the
erection of 7 no. retail units of 5000 sq.ft following the
demolition of the existing Homebase store, the
refurbishment and subdivision of existing retail units along
with associated car parking (Ref 07F/2422).
Site Specific Policy Issues The remainder of the site is designated as a Primarily
Residential Area; Policy H4 requires material consideration
and will permit development for residential and business
use as long as this is in accordance with other relevant
policies.
The site is also incorporated with the Eastern Approaches
Strategic Investment Area of the Edge Lane Corridor.
Site Context The site is bounded to the north by the A5047 Edge Lane,
with a continuation of the retail park, and predominantly
residential property found beyond. The eastern site
boundary is fragmented by the position of housing along
Rathbone Road, continuing beyond. To the south lies rail
infrastructure, with Wavertree Technology Park to the south
and west.
Site Assessment:
Availability
It should be noted at this point that no specific site has been identified by Liverpool City
Council or any other third party, therefore it is difficult to comment with any certainty on the
availability of any site. Considering the multiple tenures already on site, and the pending
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application for the subdivision and redevelopment of commercial and retail space, the site is
likely to be unavailable.
Suitability
Again, without any specific sites having been identified, it is difficult to comment on site
specific suitability. The location of the site, in close proximity to vehicular, and public transport
networks suggests that it could be suitable for stadium development, however the site would
only be suitable if it could be cleared and redeveloped in its entirety. With the current mix of
commercial and retail tenures on site, this is unlikely.
The mix of tenures already present, and the position of the site as a gateway location as per
the SIA's, and UDP, means that the site cannot be realistically considered for stadium
development. It is unlikely that the LPA would wish to locate a stadium and associated
infrastructure here considering the regeneration already being undertaken within theimmediate vicinity.
Accessibility
Access to the site is provided via Edge Lane, Rathbone Road, and Binns Road. Edge Lane,
as an arterial route into the City Centre provides excellent vehicular accessibility as well as
numerous bus routes into the surrounding area. Access to the rail network can also be
achieved via Wavertree, and Edge Lane Stations.
Therefore the site is accessible.
Viability
The site is considered to be unviable for stadium development given the present site value for
retail uses.
Deliverability
The multiple tenures on site, would compromise the ability to clear a site of a size suitable for
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a 50,000 seater stadium. Likewise, the need for large scale new retail floorspace for enabling
development, in addition to the replacement retail floorspace required to allow a site to be
formed would be contrary to the Liverpool UDP. Consequently, the site assembly difficulties
and major hurdle for obtaining planning permission severely compromise the deliverability of
the site.
Summary
No specific site has been identified by the Council or third parties, which makes it difficult to
assess the potential of the Edge Lane Retail Park site. The site would likely require wholesale
redevelopment to accommodate a stadium, which is likely to include protected open space
land.
The site is not available and is unlikely to be suitable given the level of new enabling
floorspace required and the difficulty in assembling a site.
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6. CONCLUSIONS
This report has provided an overview of the site search undertaken by EFC over the previous
decade to find a site suitable and viable for a new stadium. It has long been accepted by EFC
that a new stadium is required in order to allow the club to compete long term within the
Premier League and in Europe.
The site requirements have been explored to set the parameters for the alternative site
search. This has clearly established that additional land is required alongside the stadium for
the ‘enabling’ development required in order to finance a stadium of the scale and
specification required.
It has been established that EFC have made continued and exhaustive efforts to find a site for
a new stadium within the administrative boundaries of Liverpool City Council, but without
success. A similar exercise has been undertaken by Liverpool FC, the end result being thatthe only site suitable and available with the Liverpool City Council administrative boundaries
for their relocation is Stanley Park.
LFC have been shown to have undertaken an exhaustive exercise to justify being able to
build on such an important area in terms of its open space and heritage value.
In resolving to grant permission for the LFC proposals, subject to a legal agreement, Liverpool
City Council have accepted that there are no other sites suitable or available within their
boundaries for a large scale football stadium. This assessment has included both the
‘Bestway’ site at Scotland Road and the Edge Lane Retail Park.
For completeness, this report has looked in detail at the two alternative sites suggested by
Liverpool City Council prior to their resolution to grant permission for the LFC proposals, i.e.
the Bestway Site and Edge Lane Retail Park, along with the option of redeveloping Goodison
Park. It has been established that none of these options are both suitable and available for
development to meet the future requirements of the club.
The Alternative Sites Assessment carried out by DPP has revisited all of the sites considered
by LFC, along with a number of other sites, to determine if any other sites are suitable or
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available for the development of a major stadium and the necessary enabling development.
It has been demonstrated that there are no sites that are both suitable and available within
the Liverpool City Council administrative boundaries for the development of a new stadium for
EFC.
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Appendix 1 – Kirkby Stadium Proposals Overlaid on to ‘Bestway’ Scotland Road Site
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Appendix 2 – Alternative Site Location Plans