Analysis Of The Loop

[Adams]

A senior stadium analyst insists plans put forward for a ground on the Scotland Road 'loop' site in Liverpool would not be able to accomodate 50,000 seats.

 

Earlier this summer the Blues announced plans to move to a brand new 50,000 seater stadium in Kirkby, as well as confirming that a fans' vote over the move would take place before any move is agreed.

 

Earlier this month, following the distribution of ballot papers, Liverpool City Council released a joint statement with cash & carry business Bestway detailing plans for a potential development at the Scotland Road site.

 

Tim Spencer, Director at Steer Davies Gleave - the company responsible for transport, crowd flow and evacuation capacity analysis for the Emirates Stadium, Croke Park, New Wembley and Stamford Bridge has dismissed the feasibility of the 'loop' site on Scotland Road as a possible site for a high specification 50,000 seat stadium.

 

After closely studying the site setting and current accessibility, Mr Spencer is quite adamant that the circa. 11-acre site could only safely house a stadium of around 30,000, although that figure could be stretched to a limit of 35,000.

 

Mr Spencer said: "It has been stated in the press that the Emirates Stadium occupies an 8-acre site. Ashburton Grove is in fact a 25-acre site with the stadium building itself taking up some 9-acres with a further 8 acres allocated to crowd circulation and access routes - with the remainder being given over to mostly residential development. The full and safe stadium operation therefore occupies 17 acres not the said 8.

 

"Owing to the onerous requirements regarding emergency vehicle access and the exact evacuation requirements for major sporting facilities, any stadium design must include large external circulation areas around the stadium to achieve a safety certificate - the licence to operate.

 

"Should the vast majority (i.e. enough land to accommodate a 50,000 capacity building) of the 'loop' site be developed out into a stadium, it could not meet the key criteria to receive its safety licence and it could not be opened to the public."

 

"The requirements are black and white on this subject. The site would only be, at best, suitable for a stadium of around 35,000 seats.

 

"To make the design revealed today operate in a safe fashion would prove to be prohibitively expensive for Everton Football Club because of the necessary and perhaps extensive 'air right' building construction over highways and the need to provide connecting bridges to adjacent 'place of safety' areas and adequate pedestrian circulation and emergency vehicle access routes.

 

"All of this would have to be funded at great cost without the benefit of any large retail-led development that would, in the case of Kirkby, enable the development of a stadium with no operating/licensing risk to the club.

 

"Despite the very wide roads that surround the loop site on all sides the local transport links to the area are not very good - especially when compared to Kirkby given the raft of local transport improvements that would come forward with the new stadium there.

 

"In short, the loop site is a complete non-starter for Everton FC unless they were seeking a site to accommodate 35,000 fans and no more."

 

For the anaylis about the Goodison option go here: http://www.toffeetalk.com/Analysis-Of-and3...nd39-t7557.html

[RuffRob]

As I have said this myself on a few posts, that the Loop option is a proper Red Herring, that is being incorrectly touted as a viable alternative to Kirby - Anybody not keen on Kirby is just latching on to it in desperation.

 

The site is just to small and we are just not going to be able to fit a square peg in a round hole.

- The site is two small,

- no partners or developers,

- no finacial backing

 

To me the site has nothing to offer - other than LCC - big deal

 

Do we people really want to spend another year for this to be 'formally' presented as an unsuitable site.

[blueglen]

As I have said this myself on a few posts, that the Loop option is a proper Red Herring, that is being incorrectly touted as a viable alternative to Kirby - Anybody not keen on Kirby is just latching on to it in desperation.

 

The site is just to small and we are just not going to be able to fit a square peg in a round hole.

- The site is two small,

- no partners or developers,

- no finacial backing

 

To me the site has nothing to offer - other than LCC - big deal

 

Do we people really want to spend another year for this to be 'formally' presented as an unsuitable site.

The director of a company trying to make money out of re-locating Everton to Kirkby would say the site was too small...... All I would like is for the loop to be given a good looking at. Maybe it is too small but I don't think trust the statement by STEER DAVIES GLEAVE...........

 

http://www.steerdaviesgleave.com/assets_cm...f/evertonfc.pdf