Liverpool have announced plans for a £60m expansion of the Anfield Road stand that will raise Anfield’s capacity above 61,000.
The designs, part of a public consultation exercise launched on Friday, are for a new 16,000-seat stand that will increase the stadium’s capacity by 7,000. A planning application for an extra 4,800 seats at Anfield Road was allowed to lapse in September in favour of the more ambitious scheme.
Liverpool’s plans are at the draft stage and do not include details such as an opening date, whether safe standing will feature or ticket prices, although the majority of the extra seats will be general admission. The development depends on the success of the public consultation, a second stage of which is planned for early next year, together with the planning application and the financial viability of the scheme. The club intends to pay for the construction via its existing banking facilities.
The redevelopment would leave Anfield’s famous Kop as the second-smallest stand at the stadium. Liverpool hope to submit a planning application in the spring. The club would apply in parallel for a permanent licence to host concerts and sporting events such as Gaelic and American football. It has a two-year licence for extra events and a permanent licence may prove a problem for local residents. Part of Anfield Road would be closed for good to allow for the new development, although there will be no intrusion into Stanley Park.
Liverpool’s chief operating officer, Andy Hughes, said: “I think it is clear we didn’t perhaps perform a consultation for the concerts as well as we could have done and we are always looking to improve. I think we did a really good job on the Main stand and the objective here is to run the best consultation process that we can.
“Our ambition is to increase the capacity of Anfield stadium and allow more fans to enjoy some of the best football in the world. We have always been looking at a long term development plan for Anfield and we have been looking specifically at Anfield Road as the next step post-Main stand.
“We have deliberately phased these investments as they are big projects in their own right. They require funding. Of the big steps we chose to do the Main Stand first, the training ground second and Anfield Road third. We are still in the development process for the training ground. That is looking to complete this summer so the timing to move on to design, planning and initiation of the Anfield Road development is right now.”
The £60m cost is Liverpool’s target figure and could be challenged by external factors such as Brexit. As with the £114m Main stand, the new Anfield Road stand would be constructed behind the existing structure before being joined together to minimise disruption to match days. A fan park would be located inside the new stand.
“There are three hurdles and they are all really important,” Hughes said. “It is all aspects of consultation with the local community, residents, local businesses and community groups. Getting through the planning process is equally important and also creating a financially sustainable model for the stand. Without any of those in place a build will not go ahead.”