Analysis Of 'Goodison Option'

[Adams]

Two possible alternatives to the proposed new stadium in Kirkby have entered the public arena in the last week.

 

A joint statement from Bestway and Liverpool City Council on Monday revealed proposals for a possible development off Scotland Road - dubbed the 'Scotland Road Loop' - whilst suggestions for improvements at Goodison Park have been made public by KEIOC.

 

Top architects from The KSS Design Group have analysed the KEIOC proposals. They have highlighted a number of factors which make it clear the suggestion that the current Goodison site could be utilised to develop a ground with a 25% increase in capacity is not viable.

 

A spokesman for KSS said: "This does not stand up to expert scrutiny for the following reasons:

 

"1 - Setting aside additional land acquisition, phasing complexity, the likely difficulty in obtaining planning approval and the overall financial non-viability, the report does not demonstrate in the first instance that a larger capacity stadium can be built on the site.

 

"2 - The holistic redevelopment proposal impacts heavily on the surrounding residential area. The oversailing of site boundaries on Goodison Road and Bullens Road, and loss of amenity and adverse effect on daylight and sunlight to adjoining residential properties are raised as potential problems (which they are), but not addressed as part of the solution, whilst the loss of the junior school on Bullens Road is simply ignored altogether.

 

"3 - The principles behind the provision of safe access and egress for the increased number of spectators in and around the stadium are not understood or addressed. The proposal continues to rely on the existing surrounding road infrastructure to accommodate the additional match day capacity without demonstrating the additional space necessary to do so safely. Access to seating areas oversailing the site boundaries is not addressed.

 

"4 - The proposal concentrates on providing as much seating as possible, but ignores the detailed requirements of current safety design legislation, which will have a major impact on overall capacity. Seating and gangway provisions to upper tiers do not comply with acceptable standards, and huge cantilevered upper tiers will either require intermediate support columns which in turn blight sightlines, or alternatively massive balancing structures to the rear. Access and seating provision for disabled spectators is ignored completely.

 

"5 - Goodison Park is already one of the tightest larger stadia in the UK with poor seating and back of house standards for general spectators and a relatively low hospitality capacity. Even accepting that the moving of the pitch to the south will generate space for a larger (but not necessarily larger capacity) Gwladys Street stand, and the release of car park area will allow a larger Park End stand, the higher space standards required for modern stadia mean it must be questionable whether it is feasible to build a modern stadium of the same current capacity of just over 40,000, let alone one at least 25% larger."

 

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