Source: Liverpool_Echo
Robert Elstone hopes economic upturn will help new Everton stadium chances
Robert Elstone[LNB]EVERTON chief executive Robert Elstone is hoping the economic upturn will boost the club's chance of building a new council-assisted stadium in Liverpool.[LNB]The Blues have previously insisted that the only affordable option for their new ground was the ill-fated Kirkby Project.[LNB]But since a Government inquiry ruled against the Kirkby plan, the club have entered into further talks with Liverpool council including a positive meeting last month.[LNB]Council bosses offered the same potential stadium locations which the club have previously ruled out, including sites in Scotland Road, Speke and Aintree, but without the support of a developer like Tesco none were considered financially viable.[LNB]But Elstone now hopes the national recovery from recession could make it easier for a scheme to secure financial support from elsewhere.[LNB]He said: 'To date, several sites have been identified. All are familiar to us and all had been assessed previously, but this doesn't mean we'll come to the same conclusions as circumstances change.[LNB]'The economy, in all respects, changes from day to day and we have to refresh our conclusions and look for new opportunities. I hope we are able to report progress in the near future.[LNB]'There are many examples of council-led or partnered stadium developments in football over the course of the past decade and we hope, between us, we can create a scheme which, in the first instances passes our basic test of 'affordability' and, ultimately, becomes a reality.'
