Everton FC

New Everton stadium objectors slammed

Historic England has been accused of making ‘a huge mistake’ over Everton’s new stadium plans.

Goodison Park chiefs submitted an amended design for their 52,888-capacity venue at Bramley-Moore Dock last week following feedback from several local bodies.

However the Blues’ efforts to move have been met by opposition from Historic England, who have requested the project be called in by the Government.

The group argues that building the stadium would place Liverpool’s precarious World Heritage status under fresh threat by filling in the Grade II-listed dock.

But Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, insists that Historic England’s objections will cause more harm than good to the city.

He said: “Unnecessarily delaying a £1bn mega-project such as this – which will support constructions sectors and related trades in the coming years and will create 15,000 jobs – would be a huge mistake at a time when we’re facing rising unemployment, with this a material economic intervention in the city region.

“Historic England reading of the requirements of the World Heritage Status – which has already served its purpose in establishing its visitor brand – shows the time may have come when its disadvantages for the city outweigh any residual benefits it brings.

“In reality, the power of such a scheme can prove transformative in unlocking the true economic potential of Liverpool and the north in the short and long term.

“Projects like this represent a critical example of the role forward-thinking organisations like Everton and their wider partners can play in investing in local communities and building back better, one step at a time closing the north-south divide.”