Everton stadium sign-off draws near

A new stadium for Everton Football Cub is likely to be signed off at Liverpool City Council’s planning meeting this week. The committee has been recommended to approve the stadium, part of the 8.7 hectare Bramley Moore Dock site, at its meeting on 23 February. As well as a near 53,000-seat football stadium for the club, the redevelopment will include exhibition space in the refurbished, Grade II listed Hydraulic Engine House. The plans have undergone several changes since late 2019. The development sits within Peel L&P’s wider Liverpool Waters site. The site is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, leading to concerns that the waterfront development could risk the city’s heritage status. UNESCO has said that the stadium plans would have “a completely unacceptable major adverse impact on the authenticity, integrity and outstanding universal value of the WHS property”. Historic England said during a consultation that “football has always formed a defining part of Liverpool’s identity and is undoubtedly a key part of the city’s unique and fascinating history” but added that the development would result in “substantial harm” to its listed surroundings and suggested the plans be refused. To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@egi.co.uk or tweet @_tim_burke or @estatesgazette Photo: The People’s Project