‘The Blues’ bid to revamp Goodison Park

Article posted by Coliseum, April 22^nd, 2020

Image: Everton FC

Everton Football Club – an English professional football club based in Liverpool (UK) that competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football – recently submitted an outline planning application to Liverpool City Council for legacy development at their residence Goodison Park to be spearheaded by the community.

Goodison Park is a football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, England, and is the home of Premier League club Everton since its completion in 1892. The facility is near to the Liverpool city centre.

The outline plans would witness Everton’s current home reconfigured to provide a range of community assets in Liverpool 4 after the club moves to a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock which will be able to sit 52,888 spectators on Liverpool’s waterfront. The contractor of the new stadium was announced in February this year.

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The Goodison Park Legacy Project, which facilitates the club to build on the life-changing and life-saving work of its official charity, Everton in the Community, could include good quality and affordable housing, a multiuse health center, community-led retail spaces, a youth enterprise zone, office and business facilities and green space which could include a lasting tribute to the club’s achievements at Goodison Park.

The People’s Project comprises both schemes – a legacy development at Goodison Park and a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. The development would bring about a marked impact in North Liverpool, Liverpool City Region and the Northern Powerhouse, as well as deliver a plethora of benefits that will play a crucial role in bringing back on track the city’s socio-economic recovery following the coronavirus bane.

Combined, both projects would help spur the regeneration of the northern docklands, contribute a £1bn push to the city region’s economy, generate up to 15,000 jobs, attract 1.4m visitors to the city each year and deliver an extra £237m of societal value.

The planning milestone comes after the Club submitted a detailed planning application for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in December 2019, with both applications due to be determined this summer.

Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Chief Executive of Everton, said, “Everton is a football club deeply rooted in its community and the Goodison Park Legacy Project is a symbol of our ambition, desire and commitment to Liverpool 4. We’ve been delighted by the support of the local community to our plans and the acknowledgement that we are creating facilities to empower and equip local people for generations to come.”

“This project at Goodison Park is as ambitious as our new stadium development at Bramley-Moore Dock and will build on the £10m investment in buildings already made by the club and Everton in the Community in Liverpool 4 over the last five years,” he added.

The outline application states that the scheme could include a Health Zone with a multiuse health and well-being center; an Education Zone which could allow for the expansion of the Everton Free School or a new facility for adults, with the capability to also build a new children’s center for community use; community/green space, including the potential use of the current center circle as a lasting reminder of Goodison Park’s footballing legacy; and a mix of up to 173 houses and apartments. The outline plans also include spaces for community-led retail, food and drink outlets and around 4,700 square meters of office space, aimed at inspiring local start-ups and young entrepreneurs, while space will also be occupied by the further growth of Everton in the Community.

The reconfiguration could include a Youth Enterprise Zone to endorse business start-ups. Accommodation and care facilities for people with a range of needs – from assisted living for the elderly to intensive residential care for people with dementia and other illnesses – could also be provided within the development.

The local people have helped to give a shape to the club’s plans through a number of Liverpool 4-specific focus group and drop-in sessions. The project has received huge support of the Liverpool City Region, including more than 63,000 responses across two stages of formal public consultation.

The second consultation, held in the summer of 2019, resulted in more than 43,000 responses, with 96 per cent of respondents saying they wanted The People’s Project to progress.

The results also showed near universal support (92 percent) for the outline design and layout of the redevelopment of Goodison Park.

Colin Chong, Stadium Development Director at Everton, added, “These plans are being submitted as an ‘outline planning application’ to seek permission for this development based on its maximum size, scale and potential uses. The club, working alongside the local community, will refine the exact offer as we get closer to the build stage, ensuring that it will be completely fit for purpose, and is supported by and meets the needs of the people it will serve.”

“Once the designs and plans for all the different parts of the site are finalized, further planning applications, known as ‘Reserved Matters’ submissions, will be lodged with Liverpool City Council. Redevelopment of the Goodison Park site can only commence once Everton has moved to a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.”

Everton has been advised by Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE’s) UK Planning and Development Team for both the legacy project and new stadium plans. Condy Lofthouse is the architects for the scheme.

CBRE is an American commercial real estate services and investment firm. Architectural practice Condy Lofthouse is based in Liverpool.

The club will continue to work in tune with local residents and delivery partners to refine the design and exact uses of possible buildings.

The revamp, and future maintenance of the Goodison Park site, will be overseen by a management group.

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