Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 2:08 pm

LIVERPOOL Football Club last night admitted for the first time that their plans for a new 60,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park could be delayed.

Chief executive Rick Parry was the man who dropped the biggest hint yet that the club's hopes of starting the 2006 season in Stanley Park may now be unrealistic.

Mr Parry's comments come at a time when the proposed new £80m stadium has still not been scheduled to come before the city's planning committee.

It had been hoped that planning permission for the stadium would be granted in March - with work possibly starting on site in May.

But a council spokesman last night confirmed the LFC stadium was still not listed for the next planning meeting on May 4.

Sources confirmed to the Daily Post that it was "highly unlikely" that the stadium plan would be considered by councillors before the "all-out" elections on June 10.

Already then the timescale has slipped by at least three months and that is before the possibility of a legal challenge by opponents and further public consultation.

Mr Parry said: "There's always a host of issues which arise, as has been the case this time. It's too early at this stage to say what it means for the opening date but none of the delays help, let's put it that way.

"I don't think it (the stadium) will fail. I think there may be delays, there may be areas that have to be modified but we would be very disappointed if we ended up with a 'No' because that would essentially mean we hadn't done our homework somewhere along the line."

The city council stuck to a well-worn party line highlighting the possibility of the people of Anfield being asked again about the stadium - despite a widespread public consultation in 2002.

Opponents of the LFC plans hope they will be "called in" by the Government because it involves building on part of a Victorian public park.

After the stadium plans were originally submitted last November, council planning officers sent the club a 46-page dossier of issues that needed to be addressed.

It is the club's response to that which is currently being studied.

The chief executive also played down fears the club might struggle to fill a 60,000-seat stadium, given the team's recent indifferent form.

Joe Kenny, of the Anfield Regeneration Action Committee, said: "I'm not surprised it could be delayed.

"We are talking to lawyers and, even if this gets approved by the planning committee, we think we will be able to mount legal action delaying it yet further, if not indefinitely."

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