New Everton Stadium Discussion

UNESCO and the various heritage groups with interests in the conservation of the WHS are not at all against development within the buffer zone. They accept that development must go on but just insist on the most stringent planning checks so that new buildings fit in as much as is possible.

In fact, one of the reasons they are so up in arms and vociferous is due to the roof extension on the shankly hotel which was erected without planning permission. It was given retrospective planning permission by the mayor after it had already been built.
 
UNESCO and the various heritage groups with interests in the conservation of the WHS are not at all against development within the buffer zone. They accept that development must go on but just insist on the most stringent planning checks so that new buildings fit in as much as is possible.

In fact, one of the reasons they are so up in arms and vociferous is due to the roof extension on the shankly hotel which was erected without planning permission. It was given retrospective planning permission by the mayor after it had already been built.
UNESCO and the various heritage groups with interests in the conservation of the WHS are not at all against development within the buffer zone. They accept that development must go on but just insist on the most stringent planning checks so that new buildings fit in as much as is possible.

In fact, one of the reasons they are so up in arms and vociferous is due to the roof extension on the shankly hotel which was erected without planning permission. It was given retrospective planning permission by the mayor after it had already been built.

Its looks dreadful as well.
 
From today's Times.

Everton will meet MPs to discuss ‘golden’ stadium plans
Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer

July 15 2019, 5:00pm, The Times

Everton visit the House of Commons today as they step up engagement for their Bramley-Moore Dock stadium proposal, which they argue will transform a dilapidated area of north Liverpool. “This is a golden opportunity,” Richard Kenyon, Everton’s director of marketing, communications and community, will tell politicians.

Relocating from their historic home at Goodison Park is proving a long, complex and inevitably emotional process. The Liverpool Echo comment sections brim with acerbic jousting between Liverpool and Everton fans about the development. Unesco closely follows events on a World Heritage site and the docks are on the list of sites at risk of losing their status.

This meeting with MPs, backed by the Premier League, marks a significant moment in Everton raising awareness for their scheme. Central to the club’s argument is the beneficial impact on all in the city.

“We want people to understand that this is not just a new stadium for Everton,” Kenyon said. “It is more than a stadium. It is more than a game. The socio-economic impact will be huge.”

The socio-economic consultancy RealWorth calculates the impact to be worth £793.4 million over a ten-year period to what Kenyon calls “health and well-being, environment, crime reduction and the preservation and creation of civic amenities”.


Everyone agrees the area needs attention and investment. “North Liverpool has some of the most disadvantaged wards in the country,” Kenyon continues. “There remains severe deprivation less than a mile or so from what is now a vibrant, bustling, increasingly cosmopolitan European city centre. North Liverpool is in desperate need of jobs, investment, physical regeneration and sustained social programmes, all of which our new stadium can deliver.

“This is a golden opportunity for north Liverpool. It is more than a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is an opportunity that the north end of the city hasn’t had for decades and possibly never will again. If you saw this dock, it’s not a tourist attraction, it’s derelict, nobody goes. The (Grade II listed) hydraulic tower in severe disrepair. We’re going to repair it, bringing it back to life.”

The dock walls are also listed and Everton are very mindful of allaying Unesco’s concerns. “This will allow people to appreciate it [Bramley-Moore],” Kenyon adds of the plan. He will emphasise to MPs the club’s desire to “celebrate and showcase the heritage of the site”.

Everton fans crave any indication of what their new home will look like. They know it is planned for a 52,000 capacity, with rail seating and the target of opening in 2023. When one supporter tweeted Dan Meis, the stadium architect, about the belief that new English stadia are “not intimate or intimidating because of modern regulations”, Meis’ response was “just wait and see”.

His plans for Stadio della Roma are built around a “focus on intimacy and home-pitch advantage”, he has voiced his admiration of the sweeping, single-tier south stand at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while the new Cincinnati MLS stadium boasts a steep, single tier behind one end housing the most vocal fans in “The Bailey”.

When first approached about the project, Meis was told by Robert Elstone, then the chief executive, that Everton’s new home had to be a “cauldron of energy with the steepest stands right on top of the pitch and a massive home end”.

Encouragingly for the fans, Meis appears to have fallen “in love” (his words) with the club. He has a Duncan Ferguson shirt and Everton mug in his office in Santa Monica, a club scarf signed by Tim Howard while a scoreboard on the wall displays “1878”, the year Everton were founded. He also now has an 1878 tattoo.

Fans’ hopes will be clarified when they finally see Meis’ designs. Everton are confident the design will be spectacular and enhance the famous city skyline, and promote the city globally. “Our stunning city-centre skyline will be in the background of every broadcaster’s coverage, one billion people worldwide every other week,” Kenyon says. “We don’t get that at Goodison; when drones hover over the stadium, they pick up the parks and the area we’re in.

“This is different. You see a historic but also a modern cityscape. It is rapidly becoming a city that people aspire to come to, a cool city, one of ‘the’ places to visit, and a lot of this is based on our history of culture through the Beatles and through football. A new stadium in this location will drive more visitors and further position the city as a dynamic, cultural destination with football at its heart. The value to the city in exposure will be significant and sustained. It’s not like a marketing campaign that has a time limit.”

Kenyon will point out to politicians that “redeveloping Goodison is not an option with site constraints too significant to overcome”. Much focus will inevitably be on what will become of Goodison. Kenyon, the club’s dynamic chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, the chairman Bill Kenwright and the majority share-holder Farhad Moshiri are adamant that Everton will not follow the route taken by some clubs with their old home.

“Goodison will not just be sold off to the highest bidder for a new supermarket, retail park, or an unsympathetic housing estate,” Kenyon says. “We plan to do something innovative, original and befitting of who we are as a football club . . . the People’s Club. Our vision is to create a development that benefits the local community.”
 
From today's Times.

Everton will meet MPs to discuss ‘golden’ stadium plans
Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer

July 15 2019, 5:00pm, The Times

Everton visit the House of Commons today as they step up engagement for their Bramley-Moore Dock stadium proposal, which they argue will transform a dilapidated area of north Liverpool. “This is a golden opportunity,” Richard Kenyon, Everton’s director of marketing, communications and community, will tell politicians.

Relocating from their historic home at Goodison Park is proving a long, complex and inevitably emotional process. The Liverpool Echo comment sections brim with acerbic jousting between Liverpool and Everton fans about the development. Unesco closely follows events on a World Heritage site and the docks are on the list of sites at risk of losing their status.

This meeting with MPs, backed by the Premier League, marks a significant moment in Everton raising awareness for their scheme. Central to the club’s argument is the beneficial impact on all in the city.

“We want people to understand that this is not just a new stadium for Everton,” Kenyon said. “It is more than a stadium. It is more than a game. The socio-economic impact will be huge.”

The socio-economic consultancy RealWorth calculates the impact to be worth £793.4 million over a ten-year period to what Kenyon calls “health and well-being, environment, crime reduction and the preservation and creation of civic amenities”.


Everyone agrees the area needs attention and investment. “North Liverpool has some of the most disadvantaged wards in the country,” Kenyon continues. “There remains severe deprivation less than a mile or so from what is now a vibrant, bustling, increasingly cosmopolitan European city centre. North Liverpool is in desperate need of jobs, investment, physical regeneration and sustained social programmes, all of which our new stadium can deliver.

“This is a golden opportunity for north Liverpool. It is more than a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is an opportunity that the north end of the city hasn’t had for decades and possibly never will again. If you saw this dock, it’s not a tourist attraction, it’s derelict, nobody goes. The (Grade II listed) hydraulic tower in severe disrepair. We’re going to repair it, bringing it back to life.”

The dock walls are also listed and Everton are very mindful of allaying Unesco’s concerns. “This will allow people to appreciate it [Bramley-Moore],” Kenyon adds of the plan. He will emphasise to MPs the club’s desire to “celebrate and showcase the heritage of the site”.

Everton fans crave any indication of what their new home will look like. They know it is planned for a 52,000 capacity, with rail seating and the target of opening in 2023. When one supporter tweeted Dan Meis, the stadium architect, about the belief that new English stadia are “not intimate or intimidating because of modern regulations”, Meis’ response was “just wait and see”.

His plans for Stadio della Roma are built around a “focus on intimacy and home-pitch advantage”, he has voiced his admiration of the sweeping, single-tier south stand at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium while the new Cincinnati MLS stadium boasts a steep, single tier behind one end housing the most vocal fans in “The Bailey”.

When first approached about the project, Meis was told by Robert Elstone, then the chief executive, that Everton’s new home had to be a “cauldron of energy with the steepest stands right on top of the pitch and a massive home end”.

Encouragingly for the fans, Meis appears to have fallen “in love” (his words) with the club. He has a Duncan Ferguson shirt and Everton mug in his office in Santa Monica, a club scarf signed by Tim Howard while a scoreboard on the wall displays “1878”, the year Everton were founded. He also now has an 1878 tattoo.

Fans’ hopes will be clarified when they finally see Meis’ designs. Everton are confident the design will be spectacular and enhance the famous city skyline, and promote the city globally. “Our stunning city-centre skyline will be in the background of every broadcaster’s coverage, one billion people worldwide every other week,” Kenyon says. “We don’t get that at Goodison; when drones hover over the stadium, they pick up the parks and the area we’re in.

“This is different. You see a historic but also a modern cityscape. It is rapidly becoming a city that people aspire to come to, a cool city, one of ‘the’ places to visit, and a lot of this is based on our history of culture through the Beatles and through football. A new stadium in this location will drive more visitors and further position the city as a dynamic, cultural destination with football at its heart. The value to the city in exposure will be significant and sustained. It’s not like a marketing campaign that has a time limit.”

Kenyon will point out to politicians that “redeveloping Goodison is not an option with site constraints too significant to overcome”. Much focus will inevitably be on what will become of Goodison. Kenyon, the club’s dynamic chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, the chairman Bill Kenwright and the majority share-holder Farhad Moshiri are adamant that Everton will not follow the route taken by some clubs with their old home.

“Goodison will not just be sold off to the highest bidder for a new supermarket, retail park, or an unsympathetic housing estate,” Kenyon says. “We plan to do something innovative, original and befitting of who we are as a football club . . . the People’s Club. Our vision is to create a development that benefits the local community.”

Given this upcoming meeting today, maybe get emailing to the relevant MP's (template below).


Re today's meeting with Everton FC representatives:

Dear, ******* *****

I am a constituent of yours and I would like to see every opportunity given to the Liverpool Waters project for the redevelopment of Liverpool's north end dockland, including the proposed new Everton FC Bramley Moore Dock Stadium. The project will bring thousands of jobs to the Liverpool City Region and must be given priority over and above any other consideration, including any potential impact from the loss of UNESCO's World Heritage Status. I would like you as my MP to give it your support.

R.S.V.P.



Yours, ******** *******

<address>

luciana.berger.mp@parliament.uk

dan.carden.mp@parliament.uk

louise.ellman.mp@parliament.uk

stephentwiggmp.co.uk

bill.esterson.mp@parliament.uk

eaglem@parliament.uk

eaglea@parliament.uk

fieldf@parliament.uk

margaret.greenwood.mp@parliament.uk

alison.mcgovern.mp@parliament.uk
 
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WHS does not bestow any statutory protection over and above local and national designations, so it is not really a matter of national significance. It may be nice to have, but it is not the death knell some would have us believe. Other than turning the whole area into some kind of nautical museum piece any form of development is likely to be contentious, that doesn't mean it would be automatically worthy of a call-in.

Who knows, English Heritage may like the proposed design and the associated benefits in restoring a listed building and enhancing the waterfront setting. Let's not jump the gun.
This may all be true, but it’s Everton we are talking about so there’s bound to be a twist. I am glad the club are meeting stakeholders and politicians. The more they do, the lower the risk of an unwanted outcome!!!
 
The funding is the vaguest bit about this. Must be over 2 years they’ve been looking, yet still talking about ‘several options’. Never once confirmed they will have it in place.
 

The funding is the vaguest bit about this. Must be over 2 years they’ve been looking, yet still talking about ‘several options’. Never once confirmed they will have it in place.

And doesnt the trip to parliament today suggest that they are looking for some level of government funding now?
 
I can't see why you feel that way. This is not a matter of national or regional significance in planning terms, it is one element within a designated Enterprise Zone where the expectation is that the land will be developed. There is some weight to be given to Unesco WHS status, but I just don't see it as the overriding consideration, especially on this part of the site.

As the site has WHS, by definition it is of national significance. Consequently, and in view of the extensive critism of the council's management of the site by UNESCO, it will be called in by the minister for review by the Planning Inspectorate. Just to be certain.
 
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