Liverpool Stadium Plans

[DanH84]

15th December 2007

Liverpool are reviewing plans for their new stadium in Stanley Park after estimated costs continued to escalate with concerns that the final figure could reach £500million.

American co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks revealed an ambitious new design for the 60,000-seater arena, with a potential capacity of almost 80,000 in the years ahead, after gaining control of the club nine months ago and were granted planning permission last month.

Chief executive Rick Parry said that he hoped building work could begin next spring with a projected opening for the start of the 2011-2012 season.

But now Gillett and Hicks, who have a great deal of experience of developing commercial and sports sites in their own country, are studying proposals again with advisers to decide whether to downgrade the current plans or revert to the earlier scheme with modifications.

Talks about a new stadium started more than seven years ago.

When the first design was drawn up five years ago, the estimated cost was £80m.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1779


nothing from the club or anything concrete but obviously it does make sense that large scale lending would be greatly effected by the current trends i world markets. I imagine they'll come up with the money from somewhere.

 

[Greenlizard0]

£500m? Why on earth do stadiums cost so much money in this country? For the world cup in 98 France built their stadium (with a train line underneath it) for £200m and it seats around 80,000. Ok this was 1995, but costs can't have risen by that much.

Our (Arsenal) stadium only holds 60,000 and cost £400m around 10 years after the French stadium was built..

 

[BaZ87]

nothing from the club or anything concrete but obviously it does make sense that large scale lending would be greatly effected by the current trends i world markets. I imagine they'll come up with the money from somewhere.

Yes there is

Parry came out today and said that the club remain committed to building the new stadium and that they have continued to work on the plans that were recently approved (which was always the case, the initial plans were just for a 61k seater where we were going to re-submit expanded plans after work began to speed the process up) to come up with the best possible ground for us. Parry has also denied that the credit crunch has had any affect on the plans (that could very well be bs though) and that the kop still remains the centrepiece of the ground.

The bit about there still being a kop surely means that there is no chance of us going back to our original bowl style stadium but with a bigger capacity, which has been reported (pretty sure you can't put a individual stand in a bowl ) and completely new plans would mean a big delay, if there is any truth in these rumours then the only thing i can imagine it may be would be that rather go straight to 75-80k that they go to 70k (which Parry hinted at today) and then expand at a later date.

The price is a bit staggering though, the very first set of plans (a 55k seater) were only going to cost around £60m about 7 years back now they're talking about £500m (some are even saying £700m, going up £100m a month by the look of it ) and ive seen some reports saying that the new design is costing £200m more than the equivalent size bowl stadium

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/live...ish-stadium-scrapped-reports-100252-20254685/

 

[DanH84]

fair play

 

[Sadgeek]

£500m? Why on earth do stadiums cost so much money in this country?

Welcome to rip-off Britain.

I'm absolutely gobsmacked that anyone gets any work done, when the cost of building anything is so astronomical. There's no way in the world that it will cost the builders anything near a quarter of that to build, but it's the same everywhere you look.

Even normal houses cost less than £100k to build, yet the the big names are selling them for 3 and 4 times the cost.

 

[DB_SamX]

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17623088&page=7&highlight=anfield

 

[chimaera]

m only holds 60,000 and cost £400m around 10 years after the French stadium was built..

I believe that the emirates actually cost £200 million, but the local development demanded by Islington council doubled the total ammount to £400 million. To get approval Arsenal had to pay for a new sewage treatment plant, local housing development and train/underground station/highway improvements.

Was the only way that the council would approve of the new stadium displacing so many small businesses, not easy but the end result has been perfect.

 

[Greenlizard0]

I believe that the emirates actually cost £200 million, but the local development demanded by Islington council doubled the total ammount to £400 million. To get approval Arsenal had to pay for a new sewage treatment plant, local housing development and train/underground station/highway improvements.

Was the only way that the council would approve of the new stadium displacing so many small businesses, not easy but the end result has been perfect.

Ah fair, I had wondered why when we were building it costs had jumped by so much.

Reading up on it now, I think it's brilliant the way we're going to get £300m from selling flats in the old Stadium. Good little money earner that

 

[sedm1000]

15th December 2007

nothing from the club or anything concrete but obviously it does make sense that large scale lending would be greatly effected by the current trends i world markets. I imagine they'll come up with the money from somewhere.

I think Parry's quote was typically carefully worded, allowing room to switch plans based on the review.

As already posted, the cost of building in the UK is shockingly expensive, and Liverpool city council/local contractors are renowned for their experience in inflating costs and skimming off other people's money.

In reality in makes no sense to base a 50-75 year investment on a 3-5 year financial forecast. It was always apparent that Gillet/Hicks were stretching themselves a bit with this takeover, and they've had their fingers singed already by the cost of the Premier League in terms of playing staff, and I think that they were surprised by the depth of the money pit that is required for stadium foundations in the UK. The market re-set has tightened their belt and they have panicked a little. It would be monumentally foolish to go about tearing up plans again, but the Americans haven't really shown any evidence that they are old sages. The lack of steadfast/wise board leadership has been a concern at Liverpool since Parry arrived, and there remains the worry that a 5-10 year American reign might leave behind a deficit in management experience at the club when they leave.

 

[BaZ87]

Looks like we're not going to get our spaceship which is a shame as it was growing on me

Parry's told the echo that we're having to look at 2 further schemes after the costs of the new design were spiralling out of control (first £250m, then £300m then last month it was 'at least £400m' and now they're talking about £500m (some reports have said £700m )).

Fortunately Parry has said that they're not expecting there to be any delay in the process (ready for '11/12 season), the ground will be a similar size, still have the kop but will be less dramatic than the previous design.

As long as its got the capacity and facilities for us to generate some money and that its not one of those mfi bowl jobs then i'll be happy (the kop will be a nice touch though).

 

[cheets64]

I think councils see it as an easy way to earn money, stadiums bring in a lot of business to the area on match days.

 

[Gilly]

How much was the Millennium stadium?

 

[scouse]

£190m according to a quick google search, extremely cheap in comparison!!

 

[Gilly]

Very much so. Less rip off Britain than rip off English football.

 

[scouse]

Ridiculous isn't it?! At the end of the day my main concern with Liverpool's stadium is that I manage to get a season ticket out of it!!

 

[Gooner14]

I believe that the emirates actually cost £200 million, but the local development demanded by Islington council doubled the total ammount to £400 million. To get approval Arsenal had to pay for a new sewage treatment plant, local housing development and train/underground station/highway improvements.

Hahaha, improve the underground, that's a joke. LU have done sod all, AFC gave them money for it, only for LU to turn round and say it wasn't enough. The closest station is closed on match days.

 

[Youstolemyname]

from the official site...

Parry admits the Reds have had to rethink plans for the futuristic designs revealed earlier in the year, but he is confident the new 70,000 seater stadium will still be a fitting home for the club.

He said: "We are now considering two schemes but the stadium will be a 70,000 seater.

"The new stadium will be a significant improvement on the original plans and a slightly different version of the new ones.

"And it will be a massive improvement on where we were 12 months ago, if not quite as dramatic as the plans unveiled in the summer.

"The single tier Kop remains fundamental to the design and we are not expecting any delays – it should be on schedule for 2011."

I am getting more and more worried about our Yankee owners and Parry's ability to do business by the day. He is a curly haired bozo who should have stuck to bean counting. Peter Robinson was a class chief exec and got things done.

The Yanks financial model is shoddy at best and the fact that they will have wasted God knows how many 100s of 1000s of pounds on preparing the previous plans worries me immensely.

Should have gone with that bunch of DICs instead

 

[BaZ87]

The Yanks financial model is shoddy at best and the fact that they will have wasted God knows how many 100s of 1000s of pounds on preparing the previous plans worries me immensely.

If the reason is because of the cost of the design spiralling out of control (which Parry supposidly made it clear it was that rather than the credit crunch) then ive got no problem with a re-think. I'd rather waste 100s of 1000s than 100s or 1000000s which seemingly would be the case if we stick with the spaceship; £250m in July to £500m (maybe even £700m) today is pretty alarming.

According to some guy on est1892, who knows somebody that was involved in the design of the original bowl stadium and first told us about HKS getting the nod to draw up the spaceship, he's been told by his contact that the spaceship is at least £200m more than an equivalent bowl.

 

[DB_SamX]

Spaceship? I'm lost, anyone care to clarify what it is - no one's mentioned it in the design office.

 

[BaZ87]

Thats the spaceship

Supposidly HKS (who designed the above) have been asked to do another design but not quite as dramatic to keep costs down and AFL (Mancherster firm who designed the original bowl stadium) have been asked to come up with a new design fitting the criteria Liverpool have set them.