Reds scale back stadium designs
Monday, 17 Dec 2007 22:55
The designs for Liverpool's new stadium have gone back to the planners
Liverpool have announced that designs for their planned new stadium have had to be revised, although the proposed capacity remains 70,000.
The news is thought to have been prompted by the rising price of steel and a stateside credit crunch that has squeezed the funds available from the club's two American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
The latest estimate on the cost of turning the ambitious plans unveiled in November into reality had been set at upwards of £400 million.
Chief executive Rick Parry has assured fans that as well as providing the same boost to matchday revenues, the new plans will retain some of the charm of Anfield and an end stand similar to that of the famed Kop.
"We are now considering two schemes but the stadium will be a 70,000-seater," he said to the club's official website.
"The new stadium will be a significant improvement on the original plans and a slightly different version of the new ones.
"The single tier Kop remains fundamental to the design and we are not expecting any delays – it should be on schedule for 2011."
Parry insisted that the decision to return to the drawing board was merely a "rethink" rather than a sign of more possible board room upheaval on Merseyside.