Government advisor attacks Everton stadium plan

Apr 30 2008 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

EVERTON FC’s proposed new stadium in Kirkby was the subject of a scathing attack by the Government’s key architectural advisor last night.

The Commission for Architec- ture and the Built Environment (Cabe) said the proposed new stadium and Tesco superstore was a “lost opportunity” and would “have a detrimental impact on the town and is not of a standard that Kirkby deserves.”

While supporting the principle of a Premiership football club coming to Kirkby, Cabe strongly criticised the overall design of the £400m masterplan and said it should be refused planning permission.

That could force both Everton and Tesco into a major re-evaluation of their plans which, it is understood, will be the subject of a special Knowsley Council meeting before the end of May.

Cabe’s report emerged as planning officials in neighbour-ing Sefton said the authority should formally object to the plans because of the project’s impact on nearby towns like Bootle and Southport.

Developers St Modwen have also lodged an objection to the major redevelopment of Kirkby town centre, fearing it will have a negative impact on the huge Project Jennifer, in north Liverpool, and another scheme in Skelmersdale.

Liverpool City Council, which has tried to persuade Everton FC to stay within its boundaries, last night said it was also “considering its position”.

Last week it was revealed that Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities, was likely to “call in” the plans so a public inquiry could be held, in the event of planning permission being granted. As the Govern-ment’s adviser on buildings and public space, Cabe’s analyses are likely to make that more likely.

Sefton Council said the scheme should be “called in” as a depart-ure from Knowsley’s Develop-ment Plan. It warned a failure to do so was likely to spark a judicial review from affected parties, which could include the owners of Bootle’s Strand Centre and Aintree Retail Park.

Last night, George Howarth, MP for Knowsley and Sefton East, defended the Kirkby plans.

He said: “Kirkby deserves the opportunity to make progress and other local authorities ganging up to try to stop it frankly smacks of bullying.”

A Knowsley Council spokesman said: “The comments made by Cabe have been brought to the attention of the applicant.

“Tesco has since submitted amendments to plans to develop Kirkby, and Knowsley is mid-way through a consultation exercise on the amended plans.”

The Keep Everton In Our City (KEIOC) campaign group, which is opposing the move to Kirkby, welcomed Cabe’s report. A spokesman said: “This is another major blow to the project and brings the proba-bility of an inquiry and planning refusal ever closer.” On top of a huge supermarket and a 50,000-seater stadium, Destination Kirkby includes around 50 shops and other developments and it is estimated to create around 2,000 jobs.

The Cabe report said: “The re-location of a premiership stadium here creates a unique opportunity to bring forward retail develop-ment for the benefit of the Kirkby and the surrounding area.

“However, we think that the masterplan proposed fails to translate this opportunity into a positive vision of transformation.

“We also think that Everton and Kirkby deserve a stadium of first-class design quality, and we are not convinced this has been realised by the current proposals.

“While we welcome the develop-ment of the proposed uses on this site, we feel that this scheme is, at best, a lost opportunity.”

The Commission was not con-vinced there was “a clear under-standing of the space required for managing large crowds converging on the stadium”.

It added: “We do not feel that an inspiring sense of arrival, as one would expect to have upon approaching a stadium of this size and significance, has been achieved.”

Cabe also states other uses for the ground should be found, while not in use for matches, to avoid having a detrimental impact on the public realm around it.

Other uses such as for different sporting events, a music venue, and conference facilities are suggested.

Meanwhile, Sefton Council’s planning committee will be asked to formally object on Wednesday, May 7.

Planners in Sefton are concerned about the sheer scale of the retail element of the scheme, which is nearly half the size of Grosvenor’s Liverpool One project.

The council commissioned international planning experts White Young Green (WYG) to assess the impact of it.

WYG expressed “significant concerns” with regard to the analysis undertaken to support the planning application.

Sefton Council said WYG had found the approach taken was “too simplistic” and “excludes important background information”.

Officials said Sefton should object because the scale is “disproportionate to Kirkby’s existing role and status, and would seriously prejudice the vitality and viability of other centres”.

OPINION: PAGE 10

davidbartlett