Comment: Plan that just won’t go away

May 27 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

MOST people will probably have believed the whole notion of a joint Liverpool/Everton stadium was dead and buried.

Despite all the influential voices that had spoken in support of the idea, as the two city rivals insisted on going their separate ways in planning their own multi-million pound stadia, the principle appeared to have been ditched, amid vehement opposition from fans.

But Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley surprised many yesterday when he said he was still working behind the scenes in the hope of resurrecting plans for a joint stadium.

Indeed, Cllr Bradley’s hopes of averting Everton’s move to Kirkby, and keeping his favourite club within the city boundaries, seemed to have been dashed when the Goodison Park hierarchy dismissed all the possible alternative sites offered to them.

Cllr Bradley, however, given a new lease of life himself after squeezing the Lib-Dems home to victory in this month’s local elections, and then seeing off his rivals in the subsequent leadership vote, appears to believe he can breathe fresh life into the joint stadium proposals, too.

He has talked to the sports minister, for instance, and has also had discussions with the Northwest Development Agency and Everton chairman Bill Kenwright.

Whatever their view on Cllr Bradley’s approaches, there is no doubting the fans will still be as resistant to such a scheme as they were when it was first mooted.

No-one can blame the city council lead- er for trying, however. The economy has nosedived alarmingly in just the last 12 months, and there is still no sign of work on Liverpool’s Stanley Park stadium, amid speculation that the club’s US co- owners have hit funding difficulties.

Everton, meanwhile, are as committed as ever to their Kirkby masterplan, but still have several tricky planning obstacles to overcome.

Cllr Bradley has sensed an opportunity and has seized it wholeheartedly. But we will have to see what – if anything – actually comes of it.