Anfield Expansion 45.5K to 59K approved.

[davieG]

Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium expansion approved

The plans involve expanding the main stand to three tiers, increasing the ground's capacity to almost 59,000

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Liverpool FC has been given permission to increase Anfield stadium's capacity from about 45,500 to about 59,000 as part of a £100m expansion plan.

Liverpool City Council's planning committee approved the club's proposal to expand the Main Stand by 8,300 seats and the Anfield Road Stand by 4,800.

The proposals also included conference and banqueting facilities, a new club shop and additional car parking.

Construction will begin next year for completion by the 2016-17 season.

The stadium expansion is part of a £260m regeneration of the Anfield area of Liverpool.

The planning application states the redevelopment would allow the club to host major international and European games.

The memorial to the 96 fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster is being moved as part of the plans

It said there are parts of the stadium that "fall below current Uefa and Premier League standards which restrict the club['s] ability" to host major games.

Uefa standards include a minimum 50,000 capacity stadium, corporate accommodation and a minimum standard for the changing rooms of players and match officials, which Anfield does not meet.

The Main Stand would be expanded from a single tier to three tiers.

'Important milestone'

A memorial to the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster will be moved to form part of the Hillsborough Memorial Garden, which has been included as part of the development.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: "This is a very important milestone in our ambitions to transform the Anfield area, bringing new jobs, investment and housing.

"Liverpool FC's proposals for the stadium are a key part of this."

About 250 new homes would be built, 296 would be removed, and a 100-bed hotel constructed under the proposals.

Last year, a consultation with residents in the area showed more than 80% supported the plans that have been drawn up by a consortium made up of Liverpool City Council, housing providers and Liverpool FC.

Liverpool FC was founded at Anfield Road in 1892 and originally consisted of small stands at the Anfield Road and Walton Breck Road ends.

The history of Anfield

• Anfield opened in 1884 with a capacity of about 20,000 and was originally the home of Everton FC, until a row over rent saw the Toffees move across to Goodison Park and the newly formed Liverpool FC take up residence in 1892
• The famous Spion Kop opened in 1906 and a redesign in 1928 gave it a capacity of 30,000
• Anfield's highest attendance came in 1952, when 61,905 saw the Reds take on Wolverhampton Wanderers
• The introduction of seating on the Kop and redesigns of the Anfield Road, Kemlyn Road (Centenary) and Main stands in the 1970s, 80s and 90s brought the stadium to its existing capacity of just over 45,000

[purpleronnie]

Horrendous, such a fantastic opportunity to make anfield something special, yet they decide on what looks like a stand from the mid 1990's and to leave the kop too.

[Jon the Hat]

What a shithole it is around there.  Christ.

[purpleronnie]

What a shithole it is around there.  Christ.

You can blame the owners for that too.

[Fox92]

Just glad they haven't moved; Anfield's probably my favourite ground.

[Darkon84]

You can blame the owners for that too.

 

 

Haven't they been buying up the houses for years and letting it run derelict to effectively force the remaining tenants out?

Just glad they haven't moved; Anfield's probably my favourite ground.

 

Hahaha, I don't think anyone would have ever guessed that

[purpleronnie]

Haven't they been buying up the houses for years and letting it run derelict to effectively force the remaining tenants out?

 

 

Yes.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Looks like someone was inspired by the Carling stand.

[Kitchandro]

Horrendous, such a fantastic opportunity to make anfield something special, yet they decide on what looks like a stand from the mid 1990's and to leave the kop too.

 

What's wrong with a stand from the mid 90s? Much better than the ugly, funny shaped ones built nowadays. Remember, this is Anfield, it has to look like it fits in with the style of the rest of the ground. Old grounds already look far better than new ones so there's no need to make it look really different.

 

I think the main stand looks great in that picture. It's a huge looking stand that hasn't ruined the look of what is a beautiful stadium by trying to do some fancy modern shit with it. What else would you have them do?

[Kitchandro]

As for leaving the Kop, I can see where you're coming from but I'd suggest that they weren't keen on tampering with such a classic stand. Imagine if they'd made it two-tired or something, it just wouldn't be the same.

[purpleronnie]

What's wrong with a stand from the mid 90s? Much better than the ugly, funny shaped ones built nowadays. Remember, this is Anfield, it has to look like it fits in with the style of the rest of the ground. Old grounds already look far better than new ones so there's no need to make it look really different.

 

I think the main stand looks great in that picture. It's a huge looking stand that hasn't ruined the look of what is a beautiful stadium by trying to do some fancy modern shit with it. What else would you have them do?

The corners are terrible, goalpost design with gaps between the stands look shabby,  it will just be a bloated main stand, and no redevelopment of the Kop is a crime, one of the most celebrated ends in world football will just end up as a box stand, such a great opportunity to make something truly world class.

 

Give them credit though not many can spend millions of quid on a stand that looks outdated before it's even been built.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

What's wrong with a stand from the mid 90s? Much better than the ugly, funny shaped ones built nowadays. Remember, this is Anfield, it has to look like it fits in with the style of the rest of the ground. Old grounds already look far better than new ones so there's no need to make it look really different.

 

I think the main stand looks great in that picture. It's a huge looking stand that hasn't ruined the look of what is a beautiful stadium by trying to do some fancy modern shit with it. What else would you have them do?

 

Really? So you'd rather Ashton Gate than the Allianz? 

 

I'm all for a bit of nostalgia and understand that some new grounds lack a little "charm" and identity but in the grand scheme of things, it is only a handful. There are some absolutely stunning pieces of architecture that have been constructed over the past decade or so, to say every new ground is ugly compared to those built in previous eras and using time as a barometer to gauge your opinion of something is just daft. 

[Dan]

I like the look of that.

[davieG]

Maybe they plan to extend and improve the other areas of the ground even filling the corners at some later date, isn't that what man u did?

[purpleronnie]

Maybe they plan to extend and improve the other areas of the ground even filling the corners at some later date, isn't that what man u did?

Yes but it's taken them a decade to do this, it might never happen, and what a fantastic opportunity to do it now.

 

Could be worse though, have you seen the renders for west ham's stadium?, OMG, 19,000 seats to be netted off for games there.  It's a complete mess of a stadium.

[Guest Kopfkino]

I like that.

Glad they've not done a Newcastle

[Carl the Llama]

Yes but it's taken them a decade to do this, it might never happen, and what a fantastic opportunity to do it now.

 

Could be worse though, have you seen the renders for west ham's stadium?, OMG, 19,000 seats to be netted off for games there.  It's a complete mess of a stadium.

I actually haven't, you got pics?

[Grandad.]

Yes but it's taken them a decade to do this, it might never happen, and what a fantastic opportunity to do it now.

 

Could be worse though, have you seen the renders for west ham's stadium?, OMG, 19,000 seats to be netted off for games there.  It's a complete mess of a stadium.

 

It's taken us a decade because of the mess the cowboys put us in. 

[Guest MattP]

That Main Stand looks pretty stunning to be honest. 100 times better than anything a 'new ground' would be.

[Grandad.]

That Main Stand looks pretty stunning to be honest. 100 times better than anything a 'new ground' would be.

 

Amen Matt, I would of been gutted if Anfield was no more, a new ground isn't what Liverpool FC is about. 

 

Plus when the re-development has been completed it should take a few years off my Season Ticket wait. 

[purpleronnie]

That Main Stand looks pretty stunning to be honest. 100 times better than anything a 'new ground' would be.

Don't go into architecture Matt, look at those corners, horrendous, it may look batter than a new stadium but that's only because of our lack of ambition for new builds, there's plenty wrong with the stand and the subsequent other stands once its been built.  No doubt it's improvement but I should think so after the amount of money being spent, Anfield could have had a stadium to rival dortmund's.

[Guest MattP]

Don't go into architecture Matt, look at those corners, horrendous, it may look batter than a new stadium but that's only because of our lack of ambition for new builds, there's plenty wrong with the stand and the subsequent other stands once its been built.  No doubt it's improvement but I should think so after the amount of money being spent, Anfield could have had a stadium to rival dortmund's.

 

I actually thought Dortmunds ground was very over rated, obviously the area behind the goal is amazing but the rest of it looks like something out of Eastern Europe and it's nowhere near as 'bouncing' as most English fans will tell you on a normal Saturday.

 

Monchengladbach and Bielefeld are the best two I've seen in Germany, HSV are my German side but the ground is shit, as is Bayern's from a fan point of view (not to mention being no cash grounds now has made it a nightmare to even get a beer for fans who don't go every week).

 

Germany is still great don't get me wrong but the cheap fan paradise it's often made out to be is now 4-5 years out of date, it's changed a hell of a lot as clubs seek out every penny and the league has been killed by Bayern.

[Voll Blau]

Gladbach's is decent once you're inside but it's miles out of town in the middle of nowhere.

 

Good to see Liverpool redeveloping Anfield rather than moving out. Of course a lot of the capacity issues in England would be resolved very quickly by allowing conversion to safe standing areas or (dare I say it!) actual terracing, rather than new builds.

[Grandad.]

Gladbach's is decent once you're inside but it's miles out of town in the middle of nowhere.

 

Good to see Liverpool redeveloping Anfield rather than moving out. Of course a lot of the capacity issues in England would be resolved very quickly by allowing conversion to safe standing areas or (dare I say it!) actual terracing, rather than new builds.

 

Yeah Gladbach's is a brilliant stadium, right near Rhiendahlen (army camp), used to drive out of there and the stadium was infront of you. 

 

One of the best I have been too. 

[Kitchandro]

Really? So you'd rather Ashton Gate than the Allianz? 

 

I'm all for a bit of nostalgia and understand that some new grounds lack a little "charm" and identity but in the grand scheme of things, it is only a handful. There are some absolutely stunning pieces of architecture that have been constructed over the past decade or so, to say every new ground is ugly compared to those built in previous eras and using time as a barometer to gauge your opinion of something is just daft. 

 

Yeh I would. They're just better looking grounds. The Allianz doesn't look all that impressive on the inside. Like ours, it's just a bog standard, basic design that doesn't really have any uniqueness compared to other stadiums.

 

The majority of new grounds are ugly, I can't think of one that I would consider to be anywhere near up there with what I consider the best grounds.