Liverpool’s timeline for completion of the redevelopment of the Anfield Road End is revealed ahead of second-stage consultation this week.
In documents seen by This Is Anfield ahead of a consultation with the public on Wednesday and Thursday, the Reds intend to add around 7,038 seats and be completed in time for the 2022/23 season.
Work is planned to begin in autumn this year with the establishment of foundations and substructure, with the demolition of the current upper tier to take place at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Key redevelopments will be undertaken out-of-season, in the summers of 2021 and 2022, to allow minimal disruption to matchdays—as with the Main Stand expansion between 2014 and 2016.
There will be no restriction to the current Anfield Road End during works, with the new stand to be built to the rear of the existing 8,962-seater setup.
The new two-tier stand will be the same height as the Main Stand and will create an imposing view from Stanley Park.
The current Anfield Road End fan zone and disabled parking areas will be occupied for construction, with these to be relocated on a temporary basis.
The stadium will ultimately lose 125 parking spaces, with alternative disabled parking provided in the Stanley Park car park.
Liverpool will likely ask the Premier League to play at least their first two games of games at the start of the 2022/23 season away from home, as with in 2016/17 when their return to Anfield came on the fourth weekend of the Premier League.
The stand will continue to accommodate both home and away fans. The initial idea was to move the visiting fans to the opposite side as currently, but this isn’t clear if this is still the case.
There will be no new hospitality sections in the stand, but a new, internal hospitality lounge will be added, presumably replacing current off-site hospitality locations the club utilise.
There will also be improvements made to the interior and exterior concourses at the Anfield Road End, with the club releasing images of their proposed changes in November.
The club will submit their new planning application later this year, with design to be led by KSS architects as with redevelopments to the Main Stand and the Kirkby training ground – the latter is due to completed this spring, and is currently on course for a potential handover date in mid-March.
Liverpool will update the public on their plans for changes in the Anfield area later this week, with the new plans involving re-routing the road itself around the stand, rather than closing it off completely. Anfield Road will, though, be closed during the construction and on matchdays.
The Reds are set to apply for permanent and unrestricted use of the stadium for other events, including sports such as boxing and American football, and concerts in the off-season.
It all means that, should things go as planned, Liverpool will be playing football at a 61,000-capacity Anfield stadium in two-and-a-half-years’ time.
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