Everton FC unveil stadium-led regeneration plans

Everton Football Club has unveiled its designs for a new riverside stadium which will be built on semi-derelict dockland in North Liverpool, paving the way for new housing in one of the UK’s most deprived areas.

The club claims the new stadium will deliver a £1bn boost to the city’s economy and will see a range of community assets such as homes, health, education and enterprise amenities built around the site.

Research carried out by international property consultancy CBRE says the development could create up to 15,000 new jobs generating £34m of income to local families.

Earlier this year Lord Michael Heseltine, former Deputy Prime Minister, described the club’s plans as a ‘golden opportunity to bring lasting change to the north of the city’, while a range of private and public sector leaders have expressed their support for the proposals.

Everton’s city neighbours, Liverpool FC, launched the Anfield Project in 2012 which has been hailed as a successful example of stadium-led regeneration.

It’s a £260m redevelopment of its Anfield Stadium which will ultimately see the creation of 1,000 new homes in the area. More than 600 new and 600 refurbished homes have been completed so far.

Photo Credit – Everton FC

However, Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium has been wrought with controversy, with local businesses and residents reporting they have been left out of the club’s plans.

Prof. Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Everton’s Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘It is, first and foremost, a stadium for football, for our passionate fans and for our players. A stadium that gives Everton Football Club a platform for growth both commercially and socially.

‘But it is also a stadium for the entire city and development which will deliver transformative benefits in terms of regeneration and inclusive growth for the whole Liverpool City Region and for North Liverpool in particular.

‘There is still much work to be done to deliver both the stadium and the community-led legacy in Liverpool 4 but we remain on track to deliver these amazing transformational projects.’

Photo Credit — Pixabay