Anfield or New Anfield

[bonesman]

Demolition, renovation and hotel plans for Anfield pave way for Liverpool FC to stay put

 

by Marc Waddington, Liverpool EchoAug 17 2012

 

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Lothair Road in Anfield

PLANS to demolish a row of derelict houses next to Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium and build a new hotel appear to have made it easier for the Reds to expand their current home.

 

The latest blueprints for the regeneration of housing in the Anfield area show houses on one side of Lothair Road – directly behind the stadium’s Main Stand – earmarked for demolition.

 

But homes on the other side and properties behind them were highlighted as proposed for “refurbishment” and/or “change of use”.

 

The ECHO can reveal that housing association Your Housing – formerly Arena – which owns many of the properties in the area has been working on plans for a new hotel.

 

Sources familiar with the proposals said they would see the fronts of a number of houses in Anfield Road, Alroy Road, Rockfield Road and one side of Lothair Road kept as they are.

 

But the space behind the would be redeveloped for a hotel and possible training centre.

 

The scheme – yet to be officially confirmed – is the strongest indication yet that Liverpool may decide to expand on their current site, rather than move to a new stadium in Stanley Park.

 

A problem the club would have faced if it wished to expand outwards and upwards would have been that residential properties have their right to suitable levels of natural light protected by law.

 

But commercial properties – such as hotels – are not afforded that same protection.

 

Cllr Ann O’Byrne, the council’s cabinet member for housing, said the £6m scheme to redevelop housing in Anfield would ensure the area and its residents’ quality of life was improved regardless of the Reds.

 

 

She added: “At long last, we are in a position to give residents in the Rockfield area some certainty about the future. They have been concerned about the lack of progress and we have made it a priority to come up with a scheme which ends years of doubt.

 

“The homes which are viable will be brought up to modern standards and we are keen to attract new businesses by creating commercial premises.

 

“Our proposals are viable regardless of whether Liverpool FC decide to move to Stanley Park.” A key issue now is whether or not the houses in Lothair Road which face demolition – a number of which are owned by the club – will be compulsorily purchased by the council or handed over by Liverpool.

 

They have fallen into disrepair in recent years.

 

A Freedom of Information request obtained by the ECHO shows there were 16 fires in the properties between 2004 and 2010 – 12 in 2004 alone, the most in any street in the area.

 

Today the council indicated it wished to get its hands on the properties without having to spend public money, but Liverpool could not give a firm answer as to whether this would happen.

 

But it stressed there was “no link” between the hotel proposals and a decision about the stadium remaining or being rebuilt in Stanley Park.

 

A spokesman for the Reds said: “As always, we remain collaborative and supportive of any initiatives to improve our area.

 

“We remain absolutely committed to supporting our community in all areas.

 

“The club continue to explore both options and will work closely with the council and stakeholders in supporting the regeneration of the community.”

 

A spokesman for Your Housing added: “There are a few developments in the pipeline at the moment, but nothing official yet.

 

“A lot of investment is looking to come to fruition in the area at the moment.”

 

 

 

Read More Demolition, renovation and hotel plans for Anfield pave way for Liverpool FC to stay put - Liverpool FC News - Liverpool FC - Liverpool Echo

 

Good news if it comes off..

[WaltonRed]

so we rebuild the main stand?

[bonesman]

so we rebuild the main stand?

 

I reckon thats about the gist of it WR

[Barnesey]

I was lucky enough to enjoy hostility for the Gomel match. The Club have spent a significant amount of money doing up the lounges and, clearly, someone has been on a Customer Service course; it all felt very American, and very good.

 

ian Ayre visited the lounge to shake a few hands and was chatting about the investment when i asked a pointed question, "Are we moving or re-developing?" His response was to say, "I can't possibly comment, but what do you think?"

 

No surprise, I guess

[Bobby Hundreds]

I was lucky enough to enjoy hostility for the Gomel match. The Club have spent a significant amount of money doing up the lounges and, clearly, someone has been on a Customer Service course; it all felt very American, and very good.

 

ian Ayre visited the lounge to shake a few hands and was chatting about the investment when i asked a pointed question, "Are we moving or re-developing?" His response was to say, "I can't possibly comment, but what do you think?"

 

No surprise, I guess

 

You should of just back hand slapped him

 

[YOUTUBE]eJ7hHI2HWgI&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/YOUTUBE]

[Trumo]

I was lucky enough to enjoy hostility for the Gomel match...

 

Tell us more!

[Guest San Don]

Bit underwhelmed at that news if it is correct. If we are only talking about demolishing one side of Lothair St, any new Main Stand isnt going to be that much bigger unless its going to double or triple tiers.

 

Taking out one side of Lothair will give a space similar to that behind the Centenary allowing for the road to remain in place for access to the houses remaining on the other side (of Lothair).

 

Of course we could make more of this space with the stand but they'll still want \ need car parking, space for visiting team coach & tv wagons etc.

 

If they can address the issue of the Kop Main Stand corner and put additional seats in there plus, as I have said before, significantly enlarge the Anny Road back to reasonable distance of the park boundary, we could, maybe, get to 60k. But that would be about the max as I see it without significant difficult and expensive alterations to the Centenary and rest of the Kop.

[Whelan]

Bit underwhelmed at that news if it is correct. If we are only talking about demolishing one side of Lothair St, any new Main Stand isnt going to be that much bigger unless its going to double or triple tiers.

 

Taking out one side of Lothair will give a space similar to that behind the Centenary allowing for the road to remain in place for access to the houses remaining on the other side (of Lothair).

 

I think the Main Stand is 12,000 already, so adding another tier could easily add 10,000 (with a little bit more on the lower tier). Sounds ideal to be starting with, to be honest.

[Whelan]

I was lucky enough to enjoy hostility for the Gomel match.

 

I enjoy hostility at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge every year!

[Barnesey]

Lots of very attractive young ladies in matching red dresses escorting you to tables etc. Guys who have been there for years asking me if i was looking forward to the game, had I been there before, had a good trip etc etc (wasn't like that last season although they have always been pleasant).

 

The Club has certainly up its game in this area. Even the seats allocated have improved.

[WaltonRed]

what about the people who live local or dont we count for the club no more?

[Guest San Don]

Personally, Im not arsed about corporate hospitality. It doesnt interest me. Dont have a problem with the club offerring it though as its a money earner which would have to be made up from elsewhere.

[Barnesey]

Personally, Im not arsed about corporate hospitality. It doesnt interest me. Dont have a problem with the club offerring it though as its a money earner which would have to be made up from elsewhere.

 

I agree. Much rather sit with my usual crowd

 

It was a gift and i was happy to attend as a one off; get to go once or twice a season

[xerxes]

The story sounds credible and commercial.

 

I take no satisfaction from a half new/half old solution which I predict will deliver a capacity after redevelopment of the ARE/Main Stands at around 55,000, offering perhaps 6000 new ordinary seats, the balance being taken up by premium seating.

 

It is probably the best “make do and mend” answer, but does not offer the best long term answer for LFC.

[WaltonRed]

as long as i get my fucking season ticket!

[lifetime fan]

Bascombe pretty convinced it'll be redevelopment.

 

 

The process of repairing the damage after a prolonged period of deterioration intensified over the summer, from the underperforming team through to the club’s tainted image and their ageing arena. What will become ‘new Anfield’ has received its first lick of paint.

 

More than £1million was spent on upgrading the stadium’s interiors, while Liverpool City Council has just announced the demolition of 36 neighbouring houses, one of numerous obstacles to expansion removed.

 

If the Stanley Park blueprint has not already been ripped up, it is hovering suggestively near a shredder in owner John Henry’s office. The plush refurbishment extends to the corporate areas of the Centenary Stand with the newly christened ‘Shankly’ and ‘Paisley’ lounges.

 

“Looking to the future while also remembering our past,” said the accompanying promotion on Liverpool’s website.

 

It is always thus with English football, especially Liverpool. If you have a modern idea that might be perceived as a dangerous challenge to tradition, you have to camouflage it with a comforting image from history.

 

Rodgers has captured this synchronised philosophy with his capacity to speak a language the supporters find reassuringly familiar, while at the same time presenting the youthful, dynamic and forward-thinking front the owners have wanted for two years.

 

As well as the Anfield décor, Fenway Sports Group took steps to polish up how the club are projected, transforming their media operation. A behind-the-scenes documentary airs next month and a PR firm has been asked to present the board with a clearer definition of what Liverpool represent in the 21st century, warts and all, asking an assortment of journalists and fan groups for their views.

 

Bloggers, website editors and opinionated Liverpool fans with enough followers on Twitter to get them noticed are invited to press briefings, and will be granted an audience with Rodgers once a month, an acknowledgement of the changed media landscape. To some it is a risky Americanisation of the brand, to others the kind of perceptiveness that was once the club’s hallmark but was cast adrift in the complacency of global popularity.

 

The rethink may be a mixture of the classy and tacky (the introduction of a dozen attractive girls dressed in tight fitting red dresses to welcome media and VIPs on a matchday was clearly dreamed up by middle-aged men) but, at its heart, is a merciful realisation Liverpool Football Club have been in too much trouble of their own making for too long and have surrendered too much of the respect they once enjoyed from those with no emotional attachment to the place. The aim is to be more inclusive, less parochial and to impart greater wisdom from the top down.

 

Of course, all this will not mean a hoot if Liverpool do not perform where it matters. Pre-season has brought a surge of tolerance for calls to accept the financial and sporting reality that Liverpool have been the seventh, sixth and eighth best club in the country under three managers over the last three years. It has been an unstable and unfulfilling era.

 

There is no logical reason for anyone to confidently predict they will return to the Champions League at Rodgers’ first attempt, but the modern shelf life for sympathetic ears tolerating pleas for patience is usually a little over a month.

 

Rodgers is wise enough to know the encouraging performance and results need to start at the Hawthorns on Saturday to buy him the time he needs for a long overhaul.

 

It was telling that for Rodgers’ opening game at Anfield, against FC Gomel in the Europa League, supporters chanted an emotional farewell to Kenny Dalglish, while the latest appointment was barely acknowledged. A new manager must always deal with the substantial and debilitating weight of Liverpool’s past.

 

“As a club it is an iconic one, you can never take that away. History has to be remembered and respected and that’s what I will always do, but we have to create new memories, new history,” said Rodgers. “I will always respect the past and have as much knowledge as you can get, but we must use it to create our own.

 

“These are educated supporters, brilliant supporters, who I’m sure are wondering how it’s all going to work out. As a manager and a coach, you have to earn the respect. Everything in life over the last 20 years I have had to earn and gain that respect and, for me, here it’s no different. People have said to me about them not chanting my name yet, but it’s more important for them to be singing the names of the players. When they feel the time is right, whenever that is, they will, but I will never be offended by it if they don’t.”

 

Everyone at Anfield has been impressed by the eloquent cut of Rodgers’ jib. Tactically, he says he has a plan A and “if plan A doesn’t work, plan B is to make a change to make plan A more effective”.

 

The pass and move mantra he espouses is not radical for Liverpool. Again, it is about restoring existing values that were lost when Liverpool turned to successive defensive, counter-attacking managers and when Dalglish was unable to find the consistency or fully re-acclimatise to a football world very different to the one he had left.

 

There will be plenty of casualties along the way under Rodgers. The most headline grabbing will be those players unable to cope with a more technically efficient game - a hectic finale to the transfer window should not be ruled out.

 

If the greatest victim of Anfield’s summer of restoration is the butchering of an era in which the club’s over-inflated self-perception bore no resemblance to the mediocre reality, Liverpool will again become the club those who were at the forefront of their halcyon days would recognise.