Residents and businesses are being asked to play their part in shaping a £260m regeneration plan which will breathe new life into north Liverpool.
A consortium led by Liverpool City Council with support from Your Housing Group, Liverpool Football Club and other partners including Keepmoat Ltd has unveiled a vision to transform the Anfield area of the city close to and around the stadium.
They now want members of the public, especially those living and working in the affected areas, to help shape the ideas and to provide valuable feedback.
The ideas and concepts unveiled today include new housing, shopping facilities, public space, office buildings, a hotel and the creation of a major new pedestrian-friendly avenue and public square.
There is also a proposal to complete the restoration of Stanley Park and to build a food hub at its centre which would offer food retail units, production and training facilities.
CLICK ON THE MAP BELOW TO SEE A LARGER VERSION OF THE PLANS.
As part of the scheme, Liverpool Football Club has stated its preference is to expand its stadium subject to detailed feasibility studies and the community and home owners’ support. Altogether, the proposals could amount to some £260m investment and create 700 long-term jobs in one of the most deprived areas of the city.
VISIT THE DEDICATED ANFIELD PROJECT WEBSITE AT www.anfieldproject.co.uk
They follow improvements which have already been made. These include over £40m of new housing, the restoration of Stanley Park including the Isla Gladstone conservatory, and the construction of the new Four Oaks Primary School and Mere Lane Health Centre.
The vision is designed to accelerate the improvements in place and to create the right environment for economic development, employment growth and personal wellbeing.
Residents and others are invited to provide feedback on the plans over the next six weeks. After taking into account people’s views, the vision and ideas would then be drawn together into a detailed proposal for the area which would be officially endorsed by the city council. All stakeholders will be given the chance to have their say on the proposals before any such endorsement.
A further period of formal public consultation would follow before the submission of detailed planning applications in relation to the various projects next year.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said: “It is essential that people understand that what we are unveiling today is a range of Anfield-wide regeneration ideas and concepts which we are confident can be delivered but which we genuinely need to hear people’s views on.
“We believe the plans are exciting and will deliver a step-change in quality of life for many thousands of people and be of major benefit to the city not just Anfield. But residents, business people and others may have other opinions and their own brilliant ideas.
“Please tell us what you think and what you want. Anfield does not belong to Liverpool City Council and it does not belong to Liverpool Football Club or Your Housing Group. Anfield belongs to everyone.”
Your Housing Group chief executive Brian Cronin said: “A lot has already been achieved in Anfield through the determination of community leaders and residents – and those people should rightly take pride in their achievements.
“Much has also been done through the delivery of new-build homes and the imaginative refurbishment of traditional terraces. We can already see a new Anfield emerging – a revitalised community where people want to live, work and bring up their families.
“But there is still a huge amount to be done to realise our wider vision, and we will continue to work with Liverpool City Council and the local community to ensure a positive outcome for Anfield and its residents, who can now begin to look forward to a positive future for the area.”
Liverpool Football Club managing director Ian Ayre said: “The unveiling of this vision for the wider regeneration of the Anfield area is another important step towards transforming the area for the better. The Club has a track record of working successfully with LCC and others to drive forward improvements to the area, having made a major investment towards the transformation of Stanley Park.
“We are looking forward to working with the partnership and playing a part in the development of the regeneration vision and we strongly encourage local residents, businesses and community groups to get involved in the process and have their say.
“This is also an important milestone as we seek to investigate the feasibility of expanding our stadium. We will continue this work, which is just one part of the wider Anfield vision, however, and there is a great deal of work still to be done to bring those plans to fruition.
“We have always said that any stadium expansion will be subject to detailed economic and social feasibility studies and the community and home owners’ support, which includes our ability to purchase the land for the proposed expansion. Any expansion is also subject to the club being able to navigate the planning landscape and we are pleased to say that very positive progress is being made.”
HAVE YOUR SAY
Members of the public, local businesses and other stakeholders can get involved in shaping the vision for the area in a number of ways.
• Viewing proposals for the area and leaving comments at one of a number of information points
• By responding to a survey, which has been designed to capture the views of people who live, work and visit the area. This can be found on the project website www.anfieldproject.co.uk. Alternately members of the public will be able to input a response via a community engagement team or at most of the information points.
• Talking to a member of the engagement team. The team will be going door to door in the Anfield Village and Rockfield areas of Anfield to listen to the views of local residents and businesses. They will also be out and about in public places such as Stanley Park and Asda on Breck Road.
• Taking part in a session to explore the vision for the area. There will be a number of activities happening in locations around Anfield, which will provide an opportunity to explore proposals and develop ideas in greater depth. The programme of activity will be shared on the website www.anfieldproject.co.uk or you can find out more by dropping into one of the local information points.
Members of the public can get more information by emailing anfieldproject@liverpool.gov.uk
AT A GLANCE
The Anfield regeneration vision involves the following ideas:
• Refurbishment of more than 550 homes in the Anfield/Rockfield areas
• Creation of a major, pedestrian-friendly new avenue to link Walton Breck Road High Street with Priory Road, running through Stanley Park along the existing Mill Lane
• The creation of a 10,000 sq ft Food Hub in Stanley Park
• Improvements to Walton Breck Road and Oakfield Road
• Creation of a public ‘Village’ square at the junction of the proposed new avenue and Walton Breck Road
• The clearance of around 300 derelict and sub-standard properties
• Continued development of new energy-efficient homes by Keepmoat west of Walton Breck Road – about 250 new homes in phases four and five of The Parks development, set in an attractive, greener safer environment
• The completion of the restoration of Stanley Park, including its car park, with a range of possible new features and uses
• Improvements in design to integrate the Park with neighbouring residential areas and make it easier to access
• The building of a 100-bed hotel, possibly in the Village Square, which would train young people in hospitality
• The creation of new office buildings – a ‘business hub’ – and new and improved retail premises in the Village Square and on Walton Breck Road/Oakfield Road
