Everton stadium move will not take place until 2023-24 at the earliest
Everton will wait at least another 12 months before submitting a planning application for a new £500 million stadium after starting a one-year public consultation process.
A move to Bramley-Moore Dock will not happen until at least the beginning of the 2023-24 season - a year later than former chief executive Robert Elstone originally suggested.
The club is also re-evaluating earlier plans to partially fund the construction with a £250m loan secured by Liverpool City Council. The Merseyside club’s preference is to privately finance the entire project and they are in talks with investors.
Everton say the consultations starting in November – which they have described as ‘The People’s Project’ – are designed to address community concerns regarding the site and impact of a new stadium and the legacy for Goodison Park following relocation. No designs have yet been made public and the timescale for completion has shifted.
Speaking at last January’s AGM, ex-chief executive Elstone said the club was optimistic of an earlier finishing point.
“We hope it will take a year to secure funding and planning, and to conclude designs, and then three years to build on what is a complex site,” he said.
“If all goes to plan, we hope to be kicking-off at Bramley-Moore Dock in August 2022.”
Everton say that date was always aspirational rather than fixed as they manoeuvre through the complex planning process.
The club’s current chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, who took over from Elstone last summer, says a stadium will assist areas of Liverpool in need of regeneration.
Among those supporting Everton’s proposals on the dockside and Goodison Park is former deputy prime minister and environment secretary Michael Heseltine, widely credited with assisting the rejuvenation of Liverpool’s Albert Dock in the 1980s.
Everton say their plans can have a similarly transformative effect in the north docks.
“This consultation marks a very significant moment as we progress with this project,” said Barrett-Baxendale.
“We would like as many people as possible – and not just football fans – to take part and let us know their views.
“Our ambition is not just to create a new home for a very proud and historic football club but also a new landmark stadium, in an iconic setting, which will deliver huge regeneration benefits for the whole of the Liverpool City Region.
“Everton is committed to delivering an authentic football stadium which responds to Liverpool’s World Heritage Site designation. The plans we are developing will respect the historic features of the site and complement its surroundings.”
