Mersey councils attack new Everton stadium plan for Kirkby

May 6 2008 by Staff Reporter, Liverpool Daily Post

A controversial plan to move Everton FC to Kirkby has divided fans and local residents – now it is dividing councils and the business community. David Bartlett and Richard Down report two sides of the complex story

ON THE day Liverpool FC are likely to once again be given planning permission for a new stadium, the same committee is expected to pour cold water on rivals Everton FC’s hope for a new home.

Liverpool Council’s planning committee does not get to make the decision on whether the Goodison club’s new 50,000-seater stad-ium in Kirkby is approved, but it has the power to send an influential formal objection.

After commissioning experts Cushman and Wakefield looked into the £400m scheme, which includes a Tesco superstore and 50 shops, planning officers have advised the committee to send an objection to Knowsley Council.

At the same meeting, coun-cillors will be asked to approve Liverpool FC’s new stadium planned for Stanley Park, which is now in its third incarnation.

Knowsley is expected to convene a special planning meeting before the end of the month to consider the scheme. Sefton Council’s planning committee is also expected to make its objection official today.

Last night, it emerged that Grosvenor, which opens its the first phase of the £1bn Liverpool One later this month, has also objected.

Both the council and Gros-venor are objecting on similar grounds – that it will have an adverse impact on other shopping areas in the city, mainly the centre. The proposals also run contrary to regional planning guidance and policies because of its size, they state.

Both stress that they are not against the badly-needed regener-ation of Kirkby town centre.

If given approval, the £400m masterplan, called “Destination Kirkby” would see the creation of a development that would reposition Kirkby in the region’s retail hierarchy.

Drivers Jonas, commissioned by Grosvenor, states that the new net additional floorspace of 63,000 sq m, would be three times the existing retail space in Kirkby.

“This would mean that Kirkby would be larger than Wigan, War-rington, and St Helens, with only Liverpool city centre, Bolton and Southport with more floorspace.”

One of the justifications for the size of the scheme is that it will help “cross fund” Everton’s new stadium, and that it will provide huge regeneration and 2,000 jobs to a deprived area.

Knowsley MP George Howarth believes Kirkby deserves the opportunity to progress and said that “local authorities ganging up to try to stop it frankly smacks of bullying”.

Last night, Tesco could not be contacted for comment, but a spokesman for Everton defended the scheme.

He said: “We still believe the project is right both for Kirkby and Everton Football Club.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for an area that has been disadvantaged for far too long.”

However, officials in Liverpool state in a report to the planning committee that “the applicant has not adequately demonstrated a need for the retail floor space provided”.

The report also states that “insufficient reasons are provided to demonstrate why the proposals should be approved”, contrary to policies.

“The application does not adequately demonstrate the true impact of the proposals, which could be much greater in reality.

“The draw from Liverpool is high, and the true position is that significant impacts could be experienced by Liverpool district centres, and particularly the periphery of the city centre.”

Cushman and Wakefield states that the main areas to be affected are Prescot, Huyton, Croxteth, West Derby, Stockbridge Village, Norris Green, and Fazakerley.

THE development “will draw from a much wider area than is intended for the centre as guided in regional policy with implications for Liverpool”.

A letter sent by Drivers Jonas, on behalf of Grosvenor and other city centre retailers, spells out its opposition.

The surveyors state that the proposed development is such a departure from planning policies and guidance that it should be the subject of independent studies and examination.

Grosvenor is also concerned that its £1bn investment in Liverpool yields the profits it was predicting before “Destination Kirkby” arrived on the scene.

Its surveyors state that the adverse impact on Liverpool city centre would be £129m in lost turnover.

“It should be noted that Grosvenor does not object to Knowsley Borough Council, and partners, seeking to regenerate Kirkby town centre, or the provision of a new football stadium.

“However, Grosvenor considers that the scale of the accompanying comparison retail development proposed in this planning application and its location is not appropriate or acceptable.

“Regeneration should not be at the expense of achieving long-term investment and success for Liverpool city centre.”

Tesco to offer local firms first chance to build stadium > > >