Artist's impression of Everton's new stadium & shops in Kirkby _320
EVENING sessions are being planned for the public inquiry into Everton FC’s proposed stadium development in Kirkby.
The Destination Kirkby project has been dogged by residents and fans’ protests and the move would allow more residents to attend the crucial inquiry.
Knowsley Council expects the hearing, which will start in November 18, to last for four weeks and a meeting today will look to establish a timetable for the inquiry. This would allow for an overrun into a fifth week and still be completed before Christmas.
However, Everton FC’s director of communications Ian Ross yesterday described the four-week estimate as "optimistic".
Representatives of the parties will be discussing how to proceed, although Everton is not expected to be represented.
A Knowsley Council spokesperson said: "The meeting will set out the purpose and scope of the inquiry. It will also establish who wants to speak, so they can be included into the programme, whether site visits are required and so on."
It has been fast-tracked with the start coming just three months after the decision to have an inquiry was announced.
The £400m joint project with Tesco includes a 50,000- seat stadium, supermarket and up to 50 shops and has been two years in the making.
The new ground is budgeted to cost £130m, of which Everton would contribute £78m, and would generate around £11m additional revenue a year for the club.
Knowsley Council backs the scheme because it believes it will transform Kirkby and create 2,300 jobs, leading to an extra £13.6m spent locally.
The club only confirmed at an extraordinary general meeting on September 3 that they would fight the inquiry, when acting chief executive Robert Elston said the delay – which it has estimated would add a year to the project – would cost £6m.
The government called a public inquiry because of concerns over the "significant effects" beyond Kirkby.
The public inquiry will cover a range of issues including whether the plans fit in with local and national planning policies. It will focus on whether the retail development is needed, if the scale is appropriate, the site accessibility of the sit and transport to and from the site.
The scheme attracted crucial opposition from neighbouring Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and West Lancashire councils because of the sheer size of the accompanying retail development.
