New Anfield back on track

[m0e]

A MAJOR breakthrough in Liverpool FC's plans for a new stadium is revealed today.

 

Government officials have privately agreed to pump around £10m into the regeneration of the area around the club's planned £150m ground at Stanley Park, the ECHO has learned.

 

It means the Reds' stadium project is still on track after months of uncertainty.

 

A spokeswoman for the Northwest Development Agency, which holds the purse strings, today said no formal decision had been made.

The news of the cash boost comes a day after the ECHO revealed that property giant Peel Holdings has offered to build Everton FC a new stadium at Switch Island.

 

Last summer, Liverpool was told by the Northwest Development Agency it could not have £23m of taxpayers' money because £9m would be spent purely on club facilities.

 

Instead, the council was asked to come up with proposals to use government cash for the regeneration of the deprived Anfield and Breckfield areas.

The ECHO today learned that the council's bid has been successful, and that a grant of just under £10m is set to be rubber-stamped.

 

A source close to discussions said: "The agency has privately agreed to fund a sum just under £10m.

 

"It will not be used for the stadium itself - it will be for the regeneration of Anfield and Breckfield."

 

The NWDA told Liverpool last June that it cannot use public money to pay for the construction costs of the planned 60,000-seater ground.

 

Around £9m of the money was due to be spent on the stadium roof, soundproof wall cladding and an underground car park.

 

But agency officials were not opposed to Liverpool's plans for a new ground, even though they would have preferred the club to share a home with neighbours Everton.

 

They recognised the positive spin-offs for a new stadium for the Anfield area, including a job-creating plaza on the site of the current ground.

[Jose Jones]

Interesting.

 

I give it 5 minutes before some Evertonian twat on the council complains about it and suggests the clubs share a stadium. Again.

[Rashid]

Good News

[RedinSweden]

Good News

 

The Echo

[aws]

I doubt this means much.

It looks like NWDA have only agreed to give a £10m grant to be used for the surrounding area leaving us to fund the balance of the £23m we applied for.

[Dirk]

I expect more frustration in the transfer market as I doubt the club won't push forward with the plans due to a £13 million deficit. Either that, or the reason we've not been spending as much as we would have liked is to fund any deficit.

[aws]

I expect more frustration in the transfer market as I doubt the club won't push forward with the plans due to a £13 million deficit. Either that, or the reason we've not been spending as much as we would have liked is to fund any deficit.

 

I don't think there's much linkage between the stadium and transfer activity in the short term.

If the stadium's too expensive then I don't think we'll build it without new capital investment.

[DT]

If we build it he will come

[Jose Jones]

If we build it he will come

 

So are you saying we should fund the new stadium by holding "TheLiverpoolWayStock" on stanley park? Genius! Get Parry on the phone.

[Red Nick]

I expect more frustration in the transfer market as I doubt the club won't push forward with the plans due to a £13 million deficit. Either that, or the reason we've not been spending as much as we would have liked is to fund any deficit.

 

Thats been my take on our transfer activity all along, I remember as soon as the NWDA made there decision the echo said our transfer budget was 20m wheras 2 days previous it was 30m and we didnt even spend net 20m

[Anubis]

At least now we know why they were running the Everton satdium story yesterday. In case they felt left out.

[Nunavut Patrick]

If we build it he will come

 

 

Somehow I can't picture Rick Parry leading Houlding, Emlyn, Scott et al out of an Iowa cornfield for a game of sawwkkerrr.

 

Unless he's with Kraft, of course.

[Strontium]

I give it 5 minutes before some Evertonian twat on the council complains about it and suggests the clubs share a stadium. Again.

It's the council that is responsible for successfully obtaining this money from the NWDA (an unelected, Labour-controlled quango). I don't see why they'd shoot themselves in the foot like that.

 

It goes without saying that the council is just desperate to see this area regenerated, regardless of who does the regeneration, but every time in the past, it's been the NWDA that has put the mockers on any plans. Finally however it looks like there's been a breakthrough and the NWDA have agreed to release some money for the stadium. It makes a change for them to spend money on something useful, normally they just piss it away on shite.