Premier League side Everton’s plans "to relocate from Goodison Park to a new stadium on nearby Walton Hall Park have been scrapped," according to Andy Hunter of the London GUARDIAN.
The scheme, Everton’s third attempt to move from its historic Goodison home in recent years, "has been beset by controversy with local residents campaigning against a stadium, retail and housing development on the park." Everton CEO Robert Elstone and Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson "were also involved in a public dispute last year over the lack of progress on the Walton Hall Park plans." Liverpool city council confirmed the "scheme has been abandoned." A statement read, “The proposed scheme at Walton Hall Park was always an ambitious one. It was a regeneration scheme that relied heavily on retail investment into the site. Most of the current investment into retail is focused on city centres and larger district centres and not on out-of-town developments like this would have been" (GUARDIAN, 5/16).
ALTERNATIVE SITES: The BBC reported Everton "identified two possible alternative sites." Elstone said the plan was at "an early stage."
He hoped the new sites would provide a "more straightforward, deliverable opportunity" to build a new stadium.
Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri "bought a 49.9% stake in Everton in February and quickly outlined plans for a move from Goodison, which has a capacity of 39,572." Anderson said that the site "would now remain a park" (BBC, 5/16). In London, Liam Murphy wrote Everton will have a new stadium "within three years." That decision "has been celebrated by green space campaigners, who want to see the area protected from development."
The council "had faced determined opposition to the development by groups seeking to protect green spaces from development." Anderson: "I’m confident the new stadium will be up and running in three years' time. I think there is a real acceptance by them and I’m pretty confident that within three years there will be a new stadium for Everton Football Club in Liverpool."
The club and council had hoped a £300M ($432M) scheme using part of the park in north Liverpool "would see 1,000 new homes and 30,000 square metres of leisure, retail and restaurant space, plus the new stadium" (DAILY MIRROR, 5/16).
REMAINING HOPEFUL: In London, Tony Barrett wrote Elstone "remains hopeful that the scrutiny of two alternative sites will lead to a positive outcome despite having fronted the club’s failed bid to move to Walton Hall Park." He said, "Our work with the council, particularly over the last few months, has been positive and progressive and whilst our work evaluating the alternatives is at an early stage, we are hopeful that the new sites provide us with a much more straightforward, deliverable opportunity to build a new stadium" (LONDON TIMES, 5/16). In a separate piece, Murphy reported Walton Hall Park campaigners have welcomed the "decision." They said it "proves the point: if you do fight your corner you can win." Stephen McNally from the umbrella group Save Our Green Spaces praised Chrissie Byrne, who had been a key figure in the Save Walton Hall Park group.
He said, “I think this was a capitulation -- we’re made up.” Byrne added “everyone is celebrating” after hearing the news. She said, “I would like to thank the Mayor for listening to the community and saving the parks" (LIVERPOOL ECHO, 5/16).
