🏟 | It's time to reveal proposed designs for our iconic new stadium on the banks of the River Mersey… 💙 #EFC pic.twitter.com/U2ZrOS9LCN

— Everton (@Everton) July 25, 2019

ABOUT THE STADIUM PLANS

This article will just provide details supplied by the club – analysis to follow.

Commenting on the stadium plans Denise Barret-Baxendale, Everton’s CEO said:

“Our proposed stadium design takes its inspiration from both our city’s maritime history and from our Club’s rich heritage and traditions.

It is, first and foremost, a stadium for football, for our passionate fans and for our players. A stadium that gives Everton Football Club a platform for growth both commercially and socially. But it is also a stadium for the entire city and a development which will deliver transformative benefits in terms of regeneration and inclusive growth for the whole Liverpool City Region and for North Liverpool in particular.”

 Site layout

The Club’s proposals include extensive, high quality public spaces for use on both matchdays and non-matchdays, the creation of a waterway to connect the docks and a new multi-story car park next to the river, with a footbridge linking it to the stadium. The car park would be low enough that it did not block views of the stadium from the river or views of the river from the stadium.

Orientation

The stadium would be built on a north-south orientation. This is the best approach in terms of the impact of sunshine and shadow on the fans’ experience and on the televising of matches. It is also the best approach with regards to prevailing winds, retention of heritage assets and provision of public space around the stadium.

Capacity

Everton is proposing a stadium capacity of 52,000 with the potential for that to rise to 62,000 in the future, subject to further planning permission.  The stadium will also be future-proofed for any changes in regulations in relation to safe standing. The design of two of the stands (north and south) will allow for rail seating and in future, should the law change, a safe standing solution.

Construction materials

The designers are proposing to build the stadium and the car park using traditional brick, glass and steel. The dominance of the brick is designed to ensure the development looks at home in the dockland setting and takes its inspiration from the brick used in the nearby Stanley Dock complex. The current proposals show a nod to Goodison Park’s Archibald Leitch architecture with a subtle reference to the stadium’s famous lattice work in the brick.

 Inside the stadium

Inside the stadium, fans would be as close as five metres to the action with all stands offering unobstructed sightlines. The overall design will also help amplify the noise within the stadium ensuring the best possible atmosphere. The home stand would be the South Stand and would consist of a single steep tier of seats, with a super-riser to factor in any future changes in legislation to accommodate safe standing.

The Fan Plaza

The Fan Plaza would be to the east of the stadium and would be about the same size as Liverpool’s Pier Head. It would be the focus for pre-and post-match entertainment and activity.

Within the Fan Plaza, the top of the original dock wall could be revealed within the paving, maintaining the outline of the former dock.

Creating a destination & preserving historical features

Bramley-Moore Dock sits within Liverpool’s World Heritage site but is inaccessible to the public and sits next to a United Utilities waste water treatment plant.

The Club plans to breathe new life into the site, open it up for year-round public use and ensure the stadium becomes a destination both on matchdays and non-matchdays.

Preservation and restoration of a number of the dock’s key features are planned.

• Preserving the dock wall – innovative engineering would ensure the dock structure is protected, preserved and where appropriate exposed for visitors to understand the city’s dockland heritage. If the Club were to ever move again in the distant future the stadium could be deconstructed and the returned into a dock.
• Hydraulic Tower – The grade II listed building is currently inaccessible and disrepair. The Club plans to repair and restore the Hydraulic Tower and make it a visitor attraction.
• Retaining a water channel – The Club plans to maintain a water channel between Bramley-Moore Dock and its neighbouring Sandon Half-Tide Dock and Nelson Dock. Connectivity forms part of the Outstanding Universal Value that was part of the dock’s World Heritage Site designation and although boats cannot navigate through any of the three docks the Club has committed to maintain the channel and retain the Outstanding Universal Value.

Public spaces – Where possible, the Club would retain the traditional flagstones, cobbles, ironwork, capstones and railway lines in the public areas around the stadium. A number of the public spaces around the stadium are designed to be flexible so community, cultural and business organisations could use them.