Liverpool are ready to restart plans for the further expansion of Anfield, having put the project on hold earlier this year due to the pandemic. The club will submit a planning application to Liverpool City Council this week to increase the Anfield Road Stand by around 7,000 seats.
If approved, the work would see Anfield's total capacity boosted to in excess of 61,000, making the ground one of the four biggest in the Premier League.
As part of the planning application, Liverpool will also seek permanent permission to hold concerts and major events at the stadium.
While a decision from the Council is expected as early as spring 2021, the Liverpool Echo reports that no timescale has been set for work which is expected to take around 18 months to complete at a cost of £60m. It is expected, however, that the club will continue to exercise patience during the pandemic.
#LFC will this week submit a planning application to Liverpool City Council for the proposed expansion of the Anfield Road stand.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 30, 2020
Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group have not been shy in investing in the club's infrastructure, having previously spent £110m on the Main Stand redevelopment and £50m on the brand new AXA Training Centre in Kirkby.
Managing director Andy Hughes, said via Liverpoolfc.com: “We have been clear from the start that the expansion would be based on three things: financial viability and sustainability, the successful navigation of the complex planning landscape and with the co-operation of local residents and the community.
“We’d like to thank everyone who has offered a contribution to that consultation process. We feel that we now have a proposal that has been informed by our neighbours, will support the wider economy and provide an opportunity for more of our fans to come to Anfield to support our great team.
“The last nine months without fans in our stadium has driven home our commitment to making Anfield accessible to more fans than ever before and while a high level of uncertainty remains around COVID-19, we would like to be in a position to move ahead with the proposed redevelopment as soon as the time is right, which is why we’ve decided to move forward with submitting the planning application.”
Source: 90min
