Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine has backed Everton’s new stadium plans.
The Conservative peer was appointed Minister for Merseyside by Margaret Thatcher during the 1980s and championed the regeneration of Liverpool.
Everton are hoping to break ground on a new site at the Bramley-Moore Dock next year ahead of a 2022 move from their current Goodison Park home.
Financial projections expect the Blues’ waterfront development to generate £1 billion for the local economy and create over 12,000 jobs in the process.
“The involvement of a major football club like Everton as the spearhead of this development is hugely beneficial to the renewal process,” said Lord Heseltine.
“This is not just for the immediate environments around the stadium facility but is of regional importance to Liverpool because of the wider economic impact.
“There’s no question that taking declining areas, or even semi-derelict areas like Liverpool’s north docks, and giving them a new lease of life, meets every test of regeneration.
“First of all, it reverses the decline; secondly, it uses brownfield sites as opposed to green sites; and it tends to create jobs and investment where people actually are – as opposed to people having to travel long distances.
“It can simply change the whole atmosphere of a place.
“All that investment combines to create an atmosphere in which other businesses want to be involved and other growth projects emerge.
“Everton’s plans would change the whole tone and attitude towards the local area, so would serve many purposes beyond the primary sporting purpose.
“It should be remembered that this area of north Liverpool has been in decline for many, many decades so it strikes me that this is an opportunity which the city of Liverpool cannot afford to miss.”