THIS is the £300m football stadium Liverpool Football Club expect to playing in from August 2010.
The football club has submitted new plans for a stadium they hope to build on Stanley Park over the next three years.
Made largely of glass and steel, it will be able to seat 76,000 – 18,000 of who will be in an 18,000-seater Kop – if planning councillors approve
The new single-tier Anfield Kop, complete with specially designed roof, will be steeply raked and its seats tightly packed, retaining the world famous Anfield atmosphere.
To Liverpool will dig an eight metre hollow into the park near Arkles Lane and Priory Road, so the height of the stadium does not cause controversy or breach current planning laws.
That means the pitch and many of the seats on its front rows will be below ground level.
There will also be a car park and below the stadium there will be house presidential style secure bunker suites among a range of top-class corporate facilities, with glass fronts to meeting rooms and suites which will look out over Stanley Park.
Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said: “It was always the aim of the club, with the backing of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, to be world class on and off the pitch.
“When they took over, the first thing they wanted to do was review the stadium in terms of design and capacity.
“This is the immensely impressive result of their deliberations.”
The revised plan has been produced by leading world architects Dallas-based HKS, following the American takeover by Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
The club also intends establishing a joint venture company with Liverpool council to manage Stanley Park, improving its historic facilities, including a major restoration of Gladstone Pavilion.
Liverpool will create an Anfield Plaza on the site of the current ground, and will soon consider what to do with artefacts including the Hillsborough Memorial, the Bill Shankly Statue and the Shankly and Paisley Gates.
It is also expected that Liverpool will look into re-opening the Bootle branch line to provide rail access to the stadium, a fact revealed by the Daily Post last week.
Parry said: “We make no secret of the fact that we want a greater capacity and will consider putting in a second planning application when appropriate.
“However, we fully recognise for this to happen that all the associated transport requirements need to be in place.
“To increase the capacity above 60,000 we need a further step change in our approach which is why we, together with Liverpool city council and Merseytravel, are investigating the possibility of reopening the Bootle branch railway line for passenger use.
“That would be a fantastic solution, not just for the club, but for all the people of north Liverpool.”
The Reds’ new ground will also incorporate dedicated facilities for the Anfield Sport and Community Centre and Liverpool Hope University, and external facilities will include tennis courts and new multi-use games area.
The 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 will see the south east and south west corners of the stadium visually open, providing views from the park deep into its heart.
taken from www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk
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