Housing minister Grant Shapps has urged the owner of Liverpool Football Club to make a decision about whether it will build a new stadium.
Since 2002, the club has investigated the idea of building a new 70,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park, adjacent to the existing Anfield stadium. It received planning consent in 2007, but plans by the club’s previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett stalled due to the recession.
Last year, Liverpool FC was purchased by Fenway Sports Group, the company owned by American businessman and Boston Red Sox baseball club owner John W Henry. Since then, the club has considered redeveloping Anfield.
However, last month, the club seemed to acknowledge that plans to redevelop its existing ground were not viable due to issues including land acquisition.
Shapps said: “In the interests of the wider community, the club needs to make a swift decision on whether they plan to build a new stadium or stay where they are – either way the residents around Anfield deserve to know. The delay is causing unnecessary uncertainty for the community.”
daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com
