Liverpool FC New Ground

[petromax]

dead-on jon.

Nobody gave a tinker's curse for this piece of grotty car park. When somebody wants to do something positive with it, it suddenly becomes a much-loved and cherished, lush and verdant park.

What is this - jealousy?? or let's be honest, sour grapes and a massive inferiority complex.

All these people coming here making money and making the city a great place again - should be banned the lot of them!!! I like poverty, I like dereliction, I like a desperately run-down city - at least then I don't look so bad in comparison.

[marky]

@petromax...you seem to be obsessed that it's only a car-park. How long does it take to dig up and plant trees? Must be beyond the 'powers that be' at the Council.
Using your approach, any park in Liverpool is at risk of development if it has a car-park or has been run-down.
There were other options for L.F.C. but they want a nice setting overlooking a park, rather than being amongst the local population.
And before you say it's 'only a car-park' again, I think you'll find that even the Council would describe the site as part of Stanley Park...and who are we to disagree.
Now before anyone asks me where L.F.C. should go, I say anywhere they want, so long as it's not on public green-space or Park-land within the City of Liverpool. I don't think I can state my position any clearer.

[petromax]

You are right LFC is a private company. They might have chosen to buy up a few more streets around the ground. Bulldozed the houses and left the rest to rot and as a private company would have every right to do so.

So, this is a good deal. Council are using this asset for the benefit of the people in the area; to improve the park; to keep it maintained, fix the lake, police the area and more to make decent places to live across a wide area. This is good managment of an otherwise unwanted asset for the purpose for which it is intended (ie the benefit of the people in the area) and they are to be congratulated.

It has the hugely valuable spin-off of being of great benefit to at least half of the rest of Liverpool, to it's international reputation and, a piece of good luck (but fortune favours the brave), may yet re-open more public transport for the people and a number of rail stations on the line between the north docks and Edge Hill, thus bringing new life to an even wider area.

However some people seem obsessed with knocking any change for reasons I know not why but I guess it's got something to do with jealousy, short-sightedness or they've got nothing better to do. Since I don't know why, perhaps you might explain why you object to all these good things.

[jon_hall]

Why would Liverpool want to move from the area they've always been in Marky?

Just because Everton might be moving to Kirkby when they've had various grounds in a similar area over their history, doesn't mean that Liverpool should move more than a few hundred yards.

Maybe we should move somewhere better and completely and utterly screw up the whole regeneration plan, as it won't go ahead without us.

Would you go through Stanley Park at night time? It'll be far safer in the future and with the rent the club are paying to the council for it as well as renewing the sports centre and trying to make the Anfield area better for the residents with more facilities.

You can't surely blame LFC for trying to do what is best for them in the area that they have always been in since the club was formed.

Maybe you should speak to a guy called Mick Stanley, afterall the park is named after his family.

[Glen Buck]

As one of the many who didn't want us to move grounds in the 1st place, I have to say the excellence of the new design makes it all seem slightly more bearable. The original "justanotherdome" type stadium wasn't good enough. It had to be special. The original wasn't, this is.
Except for one thing.
I can't quite get my head round the fact the end opposite the new Kop will only hold about 4,500 seats. Won't it look a bit odd and make the ground look out of proportion? No wonder they don't show computer generated pictures of what that part of the ground will look like. Or if they have and anyone's got them, I wouldn't mind seeing them.
I'm assuming it was due to the fact that at this stage it had to be that way to fit in with the 60,000 limit that they had planning permission for, and that will be the 1st part to be extended in years to come.
Considering it is all so different to the original plan, surely a bit more tinkering wouldn't have done any harm and could have avoided this.
Or maybe I'm just splitting hairs?

[petromax]

Rather than unbalanced it would put greater emphasis on the kop and play down the supporter's end.

It's been assumed (though no one has said) that this is end where the extra seats to make the bigger capacity will be, but this would mean changing the roof (which is sloped now).

I had hoped the corners would get filled in to make the extra capacity (with no need to change roof). It still needn't be a bowl but more like the way the corners are filled in now at Anfield.

I think these open corners 'leak' atmosphere and Parry has previously said that open corners were not right for the club.

[AK1]

It will only hold that number initially, but it will be expanded when they get permission to increase the capacity.

[marky]

Well, you'll never hear me object to a developer building anything they like on their own land. It's a bit rich, though, when they grab community assets because their own land is suddenly not good enough for them.

[petromax]

They have paid US for an asset which will ENABLE not only the preservation of that asset but so much more besides.

Everybody wins (except maybe Evertonians, but they are frying their own fish, or Kirkby's or Tesco's)

[the pool08]

new stadium vid...wow

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drill...70817-1409.htm



Its Going to be The Best stadium in the world

It is now over to you Liverpool city council , DONT LET US DOWN.

[ChrisGeorge]

new stadium vid...wow

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drill...70817-1409.htm



Its Going to be The Best stadium in the world

It is now over to you Liverpool city council , DONT LET US DOWN.

Great video, pool08! I really like the way the new owners of Liverpool, Hicks and Gillette, have tuned into the importance of the Kop to Liverpool FC and the supporters overall. The new Anfield looks as if it is going to be an extra intimidating place for rival teams to come to and wonderful for the Reds team and supporters!

Chris

[Paul D]

THE final slice of public funding for the scheme that will see a new home for Liverpool FC in Stanley Park was agreed last night.

The board of the Northwest Regional Development Agency voted an award of £9.3m to add to the £9m already given from the European Objective 1 fund.

The decision paves the way for Liverpool FC’s new owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, to start work on a new home for the club once their new planning application is approved.

Last night, Steve Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, welcomed the decision of his board.

He said: “The £18m of NWDA and Objective 1 money will lever in a private investment of around £300m and that is a tremendous return. The scheme is extremely important for the regeneration of Anfield and Beckfield.

“The cash will go towards refurbishing the park and building a new community partnership centre alongside the new ground. The decision is a major step towards carrying out this project.”

Liverpool City Council has agreed to underwrite any losses incurred by the NWDA should the US-based owners fail to secure private sector cash for the new stadium.

But there is confidence within the council and the NWDA that there will be no financial hurdles for the two owners, despite reported problems due to the current credit crunch.

With the new planning application going to the planning committee within months it means work on the new ground could start early in 2008, with opening planned for the start of the 2010/11 season.

The cash has been earmarked for an improvement scheme in Stanley Park which will see the historic park given its biggest- ever facelift.

There was a slight possibility that the vital public funding may not have been granted, and that could have meant the entire project being halted or held up.

This is because the whole scheme is dependent on the new stadium being built as part of an overall regeneration package.

The NWDA, set up to help improve the quality of life and economic prosperity in the region, has awarded the grant in an attempt to drive forward the proposed development and regeneration of the Anfield area of the city.

The proposed scheme includes the creation of a shop-lined plaza on the current ground site and also the restoration of surrounding historic structures in the park, which was awarded planning permission earlier this week.

The new stadium will have a stone-work base on the north, west and east sides with mainly glass facades above. The south side will be clad in metal and overlook the Plaza.

One striking feature of the ground will see the south east and south west corners of the stadium visually open, providing views from the park deep into its heart.

The new LFC ground will also incorporate dedicated facilities for the Anfield Sport and Community Centre and Liverpool Hope University, with external facilities including tennis courts and multi-use games areas.

[SteH]

surprise surprise CABE are against the new design

http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?...d=365&sl=3.2.3

[ChrisGeorge]

surprise surprise CABE are against the new design

http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?...d=365&sl=3.2.3

Thanks, SteH. From the URL you posted:

Whilst this proposal has the makings of an exemplary scheme, we are disappointed that at this stage the design does not successfully achieve a cohesive and graceful architectural response to the generating idea relating to the Kop. Notwithstanding this, we acknowledge the efforts to work with the park’s topography and the work that has gone into understanding the local context.

We think that more work is required to investigate thoroughly the consequences for the architecture of the idea. The success of the stadium will be dependent on how this strong idea is resolved in detail. For example, the meeting of the Kop and the adjoining stands is far from convincing in its execution; the two come across as separate buildings each with their own identity. These two distinct elements should come together in a more convincing manner for the stadium to be read as a successful whole. The ‘wrap’ around and over the Kop projecting over the stadium is a compelling, if intimidating idea. We think that the elegance and power of this idea needs to be reinforced in the architecture rather than diluted through unnecessary complexity of detail and materials. For example the two roofs projecting either side of the wrap are less significant elements which should be reflected in the way the different components meet, the roof edge detail, and the material chosen. We also wonder whether the material of the wrap itself is right for the job; the choice of metal-cladding will create a faceted effect where perhaps a more cohesive, unified solution might be better.

A key challenge is to ensure the stadium sits lightly in the park. Our concern is that the weight and bulk of the stadium will be unduly emphasised by the dominant roofline and the approach to key elevations, particularly those facing the park and Anfield Plaza. Both threaten to obscure the main idea of the architecture and undermine efforts made elsewhere to ensure the building sits well in the park. The idea is strong enough to ensure that each elevation responds well to its specific relationship to the park. We would like to see further work done on the elevations to resolve the relationships. With a more rigorous approach to the architecture, we think that the weaknesses in the elevations can be resolved. . . .

It will indeed be interesting to see if the American owners of LFC, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, will be convinced to modify the design, or if the design they approved will go ahead.

All the best

Chris

[SteH]

It would appear from Saturdays Daily Post that the designers are working alongside the council planners to make sure they get it right. Even though CABE can make their recommendations the council have the final say and with Everton moving to Knowsley I dont think the council would dare risk losing Liverpool as well.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/...4375-19944790/