Everton commit to Bramley-Moore Dock stadium project

Phase one of the new state of the art stadium will commence at the end of July 2021, with a 26th July start date confirmed by the Premier League. The £500m project will officially start its three year build, with Everton hoping to be in its new home for the start of the 2024-25 season.

Richard Masters, the Premier League's chief executive, heaped praise on the club for going ahead with the ambitious development and spoke with excitement of the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium. He said the confirmation of the start date was good news for Everton fans and the Premier League as a whole.

The new stadium will provide visitors with an exemplary matchday experience with a positive impact on the local community. But the design also includes state of the art playing and recovery services. Masters credited the new stadium for highlighting the contribution that clubs make to sport and the regional and wider economy.

Laing O'Rourke given go ahead

Laing O'Rourke was named as contractor in 2020 when Liverpool City Council approved the new stadium and the redevelopment of the club's current home, Goodison Park, into a mixed-use project including residential, commercial and community facilities.

Enabling works will begin when the club takes possession of the Bramley-Moore Dock site, located in the Peel L&P regeneration area of Liverpool Waters, on 26th July. Early works will include the stabilising of an on-site hydraulic tower as well as the repair and stabilisation of a Grade-II listed dock wall. Other works will include raking the dock floor and demolishing non-listed structures.

Laing O'Rourke director of UK building Paul McNerney said the project would deliver significant benefits for the city as well as providing a spectacular asset that harnesses the firm's digital engineering expertise and experience of delivering world-leading sport's facilities. Laing O'Rourke will use their sector-leading manufacturing capabilities to create products at its two UK factories.

This will be the first of a planned 12-phase development which will also develop seabird habitats including cormorant rafts, and safely remove all fish from the dock before infilling with sand harvested from the river Mersey estuary in a sustainable and environmental manner. Work has been planned to be fully reversible if required, allowing the dock to be returned to its original state.

Economic boost

The stadium is predicted to deliver a £1bn boost to Liverpool's economy. Liverpool City Council projected that the stadium scheme would deliver 8,136 construction jobs with a further 1,382 jobs generated by the Goodison Park redevelopment. Estimates say the scheme could deliver up to 15,000 jobs and will provide a wider catalytic to the surrounding area, with land in the area achieving a construction value of £212m.

Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Everton chief executive, said the development would result in a stadium that would be one of the finest in football, attracting 1.4m visitors annually. The development will also see more than £255m spent in local supply chains. Barrett-Baxendale thanked colleagues, supporters, the local community and Laing O'Rourke, saying the club looked forward to working with them and seeing their stunning designs for the new stadium become a reality.