Liverpool hope to begin work on their £60m Anfield Road redevelopment by the end of the year, with completion scheduled for the summer of 2022.
The second stage of public consultation, reflecting small changes to the original proposals – the most significant being the rerouting of the road rather than permanent closure – began on Wednesday. If everything goes to schedule planning permission will be submitted this spring, with work due to commence in the later months of the year.
“Our plan is to go into a planning process in March through April and expect a planning determination in late summer,” Liverpool’s chief operating officer, Andy Hughes, said. “Assuming that goes to plan we would be able to commence the build towards the end of this year and take us through to completion in the summer of 2022.
“There are lot of things that can happen on that journey and even a small change on the planning application could delay us.”
More than 800 responses were received from the first public consultation, with 93% in support of the plans, although opposition to the closure of Anfield Road forced a rethink, which the club have accommodated.
Liverpool plan to fund the project through existing finance options, in contrast to the Main Stand redevelopment, which received a £110m loan from the owner, Fenway Sports Group. The proposed rebuild will add 5,200 general admission seats and 1,800 for hospitality and take the ground’s capacity to around 61,000.
The plan is to keep the stand open for the entirety of the project to avoid any loss of matchday revenue.
Liverpool have challenged Chelsea after receiving less than the standard 15% ticket allocation for their FA Cup fifth-round tie next month. The club will will receive 658 tickets fewer than expected, but Chelsea, citing safety advisory group advice, say the decision is final.