SM
Inter Milan vs. Como: 3 hrs 4 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Liverpool optimistic of launching Anfield Road redevelopment by end of 2020

:Headline: Liverpool optimistic of launching Anfield Road redevelopment by end of 2020: ID:389465: from db_amp
The Reds hope the £60million project will be completed in two years' time.

Liverpool hope to begin work on their £60million Anfield Road redevelopment by the end of the year, with completion scheduled for the summer of 2022.

The second stage of public consultation, reflecting small changes to the original proposals – the most significant being the rerouting of the road rather than permanent closure – began on Wednesday.

If everything goes to schedule planning permission will be submitted this spring, with work due to commence in the latter months of the year.

Liverpool hope to start work on redevelopment of the Anfield Road Stand later this year (Credit: Liverpool FC)

"Our plan is to go into a planning process in March through April and expect a planning determination to come in late summer," chief operating officer Andy Hughes told PA.

"Assuming that goes to plan we would be able to commence the build towards the end of this year and take us through to completion in the summer of 2022.

"There are lot of things that can happen on that journey and even a small change on the planning application could delay us."

More than 800 responses were received from the first public consultation, with 93 per cent in support of the plans, although opposition to the closure of Anfield Road forced a rethink which the club have now accommodated.

Liverpool are to reroute Anfield Road (area in brown) around their new stand redevelopment (Credit: Liverpool FC)

"As expected to some degree there was some negative feedback around the road closure, it is obviously an issue for some of the local residents," added Hughes.

"We have completed quite a lot of the design work and internals in the building but we've had a long, hard look at space requirements and we have managed to come to a solution where we have shrunk down the ground floor of the building a small amount just enough to be able to divert the road around the back of the Anfield Road stand without going into Stanley Park.

"It is not a significant cost."

Liverpool plan to fund the build themselves through existing finance options, as opposed to the Main Stand redevelopment which received a £110million loan from owners Fenway Sports Group.

However, the proposed rebuild of the Anfield Road stand, which will add 5,200 general admission seats and 1,800 for hospitality and take the ground's overall capacity to around 61,000, does have some similarities with the previous redevelopment in terms of the methods used.

Redevelopment of Liverpool's Anfield Road Stand will mirror that of the Main Stand, completed in 2017 (Credit: Liverpool FC)

As the introduction of general safe-standing rail seating has not yet been passed into legislation, the issue remains a hypothetical one which the club will only consider if it is passed into law, carefully considering the views of families of Hillsborough victims and fans.

The plan is to keep the stand open for the entirety of the project to avoid any loss of matchday revenue.

"It was very complicated for the Main Stand, we built around the back and over the top and kept match days running pretty much as they were and we are pretty confident we can follow the same process for the Anfield Road expansion," said Hughes.

"We are looking at minimal seat loss on matchdays, hopefully virtually nothing."

Liverpool have challenged Chelsea after receiving less than the standard 15 per cent ticket allocation for their FA Cup fifth-round tie next month.

The club will will receive 658 tickets fewer than expected, however Chelsea, citing safety advisory group advice, say the decision is final.

amp_article__389465 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-02-12 13:10:54:
html db last update - 2020-02-12 13:10:54 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Andy Hughes

Click here for more stories about Liverpool

Share this article now:
Read more about Andy Hughes Football
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .