The regeneration of Anfield is almost two decades in the making after stalling midway through, but there are signs of life that the project could soon get back up to speed.
Earlier this week, Liverpool City Council confirmed that it has appointed a team to market a development site directly outside Liverpool FC's Anfield Stadium. Known as Anfield Square, the land has been vacant for a number of years after 150 derelict properties were demolished.
Following what the council says is an "open and robust" procurement exercise, the council has appointed place management consultants, Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL), along with their subconsultant team, LDA and PLACED, to act as agent and assist with the marketing and disposal of the site and to attract the broadest and highest calibre of potential developers. The local authority says it wants any development in Anfield Square to be rooted in and focussed on community inclusion.
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Ideas for a new hotel have been previously proposed, but did not come to fruition. The lack of activity on the square, and its derelict appearance, has led to some frustration among local community members.
The square makes up one of seven key sites that have been earmarked for development works by Liverpool City Council - part of the wider regeneration project of Anfield. In December 2021, £6 million was signed off to help further the plans for the sites.
Another is a row of shops facing onto the Kop end of the stadium, with significant public realm works to be carried out on Walton Breck Road with aims of introducing a number of traffic calming measures. A row of tinned up houses, also one of the seven sites, on Oakfield Road are set to be converted into affordable homes with some commercial space.
This project is being led on by Your Housing in conjunction with Homebaked Community Land Trust. Speaking to the ECHO in November, Tom Murphy from the CLT said that they hoped to begin work on the development project in early 2023.
The tinned up houses are the legacy of significant clearance of dilapidated Victorian terraces and extensive housing renewal dating back to the then Labour government’s Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI) in 2014. Many streets were bulldozed, but some vacant terraces remained when funding of the scheme was pulled in 2011.
Progress was made on wider regeneration projects in the area, some in particular through partnerships including Liverpool FC as it carried out the expansion of its Main Stand - completed in 2016. But the wider regeneration effort later stalled when only 60% complete, according to Liverpool City Council.
So far the regeneration programme has so far seen 600 new homes, 600m refurbished homes, a new school, retail units and public space created - as well as the ongoing expansion of the stadium itself. The project was restarted with the release of council funds in December 2021 with groundwork taking place over the last 12 months. Scoping work for Anfield Square will continue to take shape.
As for the row of retail units on Walton Breck Road and proposed changes to public areas, Liverpool City Council said that engagement and consultation has already started with community stakeholders.
A plan for the remaining work is scheduled to be made public by March. A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council said a procurement process for design work is now taking place.
Once in place and decisions have been made on the future of the retail units and wider Walton Breck Road arena, work could then start in the late summer or autumn, a council spokesperson confirmed.
Commenting on the latest progress with Anfield Square, Councillor Sarah Doyle, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for Development and Economy, said: “This square presents a unique opportunity to create something special for the Anfield community – and most importantly a development that is shaped by those that live there.
“Liverpool FC’s stadium is world-renowned and attracts visitors from all over the planet, and the club is continuing to invest in it, so there will be an extremely high benchmark for the quality of what happens to Anfield Square. The benchmark for community inclusion will also be very high to ensure this development provides a long-lasting positive economic, social and environmental impact for our residents in the area.
“I’m delighted we’ve appointed such a talented team of experts with an impressive track record in community engagement and high quality developments. I look forward to seeing their work progress and hearing the views of the Anfield and Everton communities as this exciting journey begins to take shape.”
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