div>
The Grade II-listed Isla Gladstone conservatory will be transformed into north Liverpool’s version of Sefton Park’s Palm House, catering for weddings and other special events.
Once
New Anfield opens in August 2010, the current ground will be bulldozed to make way for Anfield Plaza, a public square surrounded by shops, restaurants and flats.
It is highly likely to include the present Anfield pitch as its centrepiece.
A community partnership centre (CPC) will open within the stadium, housing Liverpool FC’s community development unit, an education facility and Vernon Sangster sports centre’s replacement.
The old Vernon Sangster had to make way for the new ground and has temporarily moved to Anfield youth club.
Big changes to housing and transport around Anfield are also planned.
Keith Watson, Liverpool council’s special initiatives manager, said: “Different people have come in with different ideas about the stadium, but it remains the major contributor to Anfield’s regeneration.
“After years of uncertainty, we are within touching distance of a clear statement on the future of the area and the park.
“We are still working on the basic concept for Anfield Plaza, which has outline planning permission.
“Once the stadium issues are resolved, we think the club’s owners will turn their attentions to Anfield Plaza.”
Transport bosses are working on improvements to help 60,000 fans get to the stadium for each game, an increase of 15,000 per matchday.
As well as modernising pavements and pedestrian crossings, Merseytravel is committed to the future of Soccerbus, which takes 3% of fans from railway stations to Anfield.
The organisation is also seriously investigating whether to reopen Bootle branch line, currently used by freight, to passenger trains again.
Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel, said: “We have identified three potential sites for a new station and have designed one able to take vast crowds, basically like Aintree.
“It would need wide platforms and a bridge so 1,000 people could get off a train and have no problems getting to where they want to be.
“If we tied it into the network properly, you could get to Anfield directly from Wigan and St Helens, and most importantly Lime Street.”
IC Liverpool
Bookmarks