June 15, (THEWILL)- Former English Premier League champions Liverpool have been granted planning permission by the City Council for the proposed expansion of the Anfield Road stand of the stadium. The project will see the standings capacity increased by about 7,000 upon completion.
When summed up with what currently obtains at Anfield, Liverpool will become the third biggest ground in the EPL.
The confirmation of the city council came on Tuesday with the declaration that the planning committee has been given permission for the project to go ahead. THEWILL recalls that this is coming a few years after the 2016 redevelopment of Anfield’s Main Stand that allowed about 54,000 into the stands.
The latest expansion efforts at the Anfield Road end will take the capacity to 61,000. As a result, Liverpool’s stadium will immediately leapfrog the Etihad Stadium of Manchester City, the Emirates Stadium of Arsenal and the London Stadium.
An estimated cost of £60m has been earmarked for the project and it carries into other recent investments for the club such as its new Kirkby-based state of the art training ground. The project has a completion target of the 2023/24 season if it takes off according to schedule.
There will be a new family zone and hospitality lounges added as extras and included in the new space expansion of the stand in addition to increased capacity. As a result, Liverpool added to their planning application to the city council the permission to use Anfield to host other team sporting events and major events, such as concerts.
This will be profitable for the club especially with the increased capacity. Other sporting events could include things like Gaelic sports as the city of Liverpool has a large Irish heritage or American football, as the case may be.
There was a recognition of nature conservation on the part of the Anfield club and the city council recognised the pledge of Liverpool to replace any trees that are lost due to the development work. They plan to plant semi-mature trees along the boundary with Stanley Park as recompense.
During the expansion work, the current capacity of the Anfield stadium will not be affected as was the case during the 2016 work on the Main Stand. The rear part of the construction work will be done during the season, while the summer months will be dedicated to the more intrusive work.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
