Vicar ready to lead fight against Everton's new stadium

Mar 26 2008

A WELL-known Kirkby vicar is among thousands of people who have formally objected to the Everton/Tesco development.

Among his criticisms of the project, the Reverend Tim Stratford, from St Chad’s church, said: “Today Kirkby is a vibrant town with a buzzing town centre (albeit tatty) and a village feel at community level.

“One of the most significant characteristics of Kirkby today that marks it out from its past is its peacefulness.

“It is difficult to see how a football stadium will contribute to this and easy to see how it might be a cause of increased rivalry and a spark for disorder.”

Mr Stratford also argued that the stadium would impact on green spaces and there is not enough on-street parking to cope with the influx of supporters.

He added: “The stadium will itself contribute towards a reduction in the quality of life of people across the town.

“A powerful indicator of this is the housing market’s judgement. Most people would expect houses adjacent to such a development to reduce in value.

“They will be severely affected by light pollution throughout much of the night, noise, delivery traffic and litter.”