Government yes to Liverpool stadium plan
Jan 8 2008 Nick Coligan Liverpool Echo
LIVERPOOL FC were today told the stadium plan they shelved last month could be built on Stanley Park.
Government minister Hazel Blears confirmed she would not “call in” the futuristic proposal approved by councillors last year for further investigation.
But her decision came three weeks after the club’s American owners ditched the scheme because costs had spiralled to more than £400m.
George Gillett and Tom Hicks ordered a redesign of the club’s original ground scheme after taking over at Anfield last year.
The second plan was approved by the council, but it had to be rubber-stamped by the government before work could start.
Liverpool’s latest ground proposals - the third to be drawn up in four years - are being presented to Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry and club owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks in New York tonight. JAN 8
In a letter to the council, Ms Blears said the second plan, which included the Anfield Plaza development on the current stadium site, did not meet the criteria for a call-in.
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She said: “Local planning authorities are normally best placed to make decisions relating to their areas.
“It is right that in general, they should be free to carry out their duties responsibly, with the minimum of interference.”
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