Liverpool are moving closer to further expanding their Anfield home with the redevelopment of the Anfield Road end of the ground.
It is the second such project undertaken by owners Fenway Sports Group since their takeover of the club in October 2010.
The first of those saw the Main Stand rebuilt between 2015 and 2016, with a further 8,500 seats added to bring the stadium’s overall capacity to 54,742.
Now, the club is setting its sights on taking that number beyond 60,000, though the project remains at an early stage.
Find out how Liverpool’s latest expansion plan is progressing below...
Initial steps…
During the process of redeveloping the Main Stand, Liverpool secured outline planning permission to add 4,800 seats to the Anfield Road end.
It was initially thought that expansion of the latter stand would begin soon after the Main Stand was completed in time for the start of the 2016-17 season.
However, the Merseyside club confirmed in August 2019 that they would allow the initial planning permission relating to the Anfield Road stand to expire.
New, more ambitious plans would be submitted in their stead as FSG looked to capitalise on recent on-pitch success.
First plans revealed...
In November 2019, Liverpool began the first stage of the public consultation process relating to the Anfield Road redevelopment.
Local residents, businesses and supporters were invited to run the rule over £60m plans to build a new, 16-000-seater stand.
That represented a 7,000 seat increase in capacity that would see Anfield house as many as 61,000 supporters each matchday.
The consultation process ran until December 13 and received 800 responses.
Why have the plans changed?
A number of the responses received during the first public consultation process highlighted one major issue with Liverpool’s proposals.
As a result, fresh plans were formulated ahead of a second-stage consultation beginning in February 2020.
Two public drop-in events and a pop-up information stand ahead of the home clash with West Ham United will allow those new proposals to be scrutinised.
What happens next?
Should Liverpool get the green light from their second-stage consultation, they must next seek planning permission before delivering on their plans.
Even then, the club are at pains to insist that there are no guarantees they will choose to progress with the expansion.
Chief operating officer Andy Hughes has insisted that the Reds must have “the right sustainable financial and economic model in place to deliver a long-term sustainable Anfield.”
Still, with Jurgen Klopp now tied down until 2024 and a maiden Premier League title in sight, the conditions for further off-pitch growth appear to be in place.
