Liverpool have announced that their £60 million ($75m) redevelopment of Anfield will be delayed by 12 months due to the coronavirus crisis.
The Reds had hoped to submit planning permission this month for a proposed upgrade of the Anfield Road stand, with work slated to begin before the end of 2020.
But they have been forced to postpone those plans by at least a year due to the impact that Covid-19 is having on the construction industry. The earliest date for completion now is the summer of 2023.
In an announcement released on Monday, the club’s chief operating officer, Andy Hughes, said: “We have experienced a number of delays to the planned project as a direct result of the Covid-19 lockdown.
“Given the challenges that many sectors are facing right now, including the construction, procurement and public sectors, we are taking a responsible approach to pause the project for at least 12 months.
“The complex build programme for Anfield Road is an 18-month process and needs two clear summer close-season windows in order for it to be successful. This is why we are pausing on the project for at least 12 months so the earliest we could complete the programme is summer 2023 rather than summer 2022 as originally planned.
“Given the planning application is no longer time critical, it is our intention to submit our planning application at some stage during the next 12 months. We will use this period to review and consider options. When the football calendar and the wider delays to the construction and supply chain industries begin to plateau, we will provide further updates.”
Liverpool FCHughes added: “We understand this is disappointing for many as it is for us but would like to thank all our key stakeholders, including local neighbours in Anfield, our supporters, the City Council and others for their great co-operation in the pre-planning stages.
“Our priority remains the health and wellbeing of our people, the local community and supporters at this challenging time. Our thoughts are with all those affected by Covid-19.”
The proposed redevelopment of the Anfield Road end would see the addition of around 7,000 new seats, taking the stadium’s capacity to 61,000. The club released the first images of their proposal last November, and have since undergone two public consultation processes with residents and local businesses, stating that much of the feedback given was “very positive.”
Goal has learned that, at this stage at least, the club’s planned move to the new £50m ($62m) training complex at Kirkby remains largely unaffected.
Liverpool had intended to move into their new state-of-the-art facilities ahead of the 2021-22 season, and it is understood that though building work has been temporarily suspended in recent weeks, there is confidence within the club that it will resume in time to ready the complex for a summer opening – although whether the new season will begin as originally scheduled in August, of course, remains to be seen.
No date has been set for Jurgen Klopp and his players to return to Melwood ahead of an anticipated Premier League resumption in June.
Arsenal re-opened their London Colney training base on Monday, with sessions staggered and players given strict guidelines with regards to social distancing. Other clubs are likely to follow suit in the coming days, but sources have told Goal that Liverpool will not re-open Melwood until the UK government confirms an easing of the current lockdown restrictions across the country.