Liverpool's home ground will be able to host some of the biggest names in music after when the club was forced to amend its proposal after councillors voiced concerns over parking, noise and anti-social behaviour that disturbs local residents on matchdays.
Liverpool consequently reduced the number of events it intended to host from ten per year to six, while they also promised to appoint a residents’ liaison officer and to pay for CCTV.
A council spokesman said that the 54,000-seater venue had been given a temporary two-year license, which will see the events staged outside of the English soccer season during a six-week window between mid-May and the end of June.
Under the plans, the stadium will cater for up to 50,000 fans for concerts, although other events such as boxing could be granted a capacity as high as 60,000.
“Expanding the use of the stadium for concerts and other events will help draw additional visitors to the local area and city, provide more local jobs, increase revenue for local businesses and promote Anfield as a tourist destination,” said Liverpool’s chief operating officer Andy Hughes.
“We will now work proactively with event promoters and Liverpool City Council to plan events while ensuring we’re all working together to minimise the impact to those who live in the local area.”
At the end of August, Liverpool’s plans to host additional sporting events such as rugby league at Anfield were denied by the local council after residents called for the proposal to be rejected.
There was also some resistance to Liverpool’s revised concert plans, with the proposals being met by 57 objections from locals.
Councillor Jane Corbett said of the decision: “The local residents usually have respite from the football matches at ‘the end of the season’. This extended use of the stadium will mean that, in effect, there will no longer be an ‘end to the season’.”
