The site of Everton Football Club’s new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock is going to change the way of the life for businesses and residents in the local area. The Liverpool Echo reports that work is progressing steadily on the £500m stadium, which is set to have a capacity of 52,888.
The work is due to be completed in time for Everton to move in by the start of the 2024/25 season. The influx of football fans into the area on matchdays will inevitably impact on many of the local businesses. The Northern Docks have endured a long period of decline and underinvestment, stretching back to the 1970s.
There is currently a £5bn regeneration scheme underway of the entire Northern Docks area, which will link it up with the city centre. As well as the football stadium, there will be housing, offices, hotels, leisure facilities, and a new Isle of Man Ferry Terminal built over the next few years.
The new investment is set to halt the decline that set in when Liverpool’s port industry wound down in the latter part of the 20th century. Cafes and shops that used to serve the dockers have either gone, or now rely on passing trade for business. Now, the opportunity for significant expansion is there for the taking.
Speaking to the Echo, Michael Parkinson, a professor at the University of Liverpool, said that the investment is long overdue. He commented: “The great thing about North Liverpool is there’s great need in moral terms that something should be done. But actually there is also massive opportunity on the waterfront.”
He added: “Bramley-Moore isn’t necessarily a football stadium, it’s an economic lever. We have to understand the significance of that. It’s more than a football stadium. It’s something much more fundamental to the next two decades of the city, because that’s where the action is going to be.”
According to the economic projections made by Everton FC during a feasibility study for the new stadium, the relocation scheme will boost the local economy by £1.3bn, attract an extra 1.4m new visitors to the area every year, and create over 15,000 new jobs.
Liam Kelly, chief executive officer of Make CIC, which supports creative start-ups, has a facility on nearby Regent Street. He told the Echo that the impact of the new investment is already becoming noticeable.
Liam said: ” In the time between then and now, the stadium is well underway. There have been a handful of mainly music venues that have opened. Some have opened and closed in that time.”
He added: “It’s an obvious point to say that the area will accommodate a matchday experience. Somebody will either set up something that doesn’t already exist, or somebody who is here will adapt to accommodate that. That’s a given and it’s a great opportunity.”
He also noted that any new development should be thoughtfully managed to integrate sympathetically with the local area, rather than just allowed to sprawl in the hope of catching the matchday crowds.
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