Everton FC is on the brink of a pivotal year, with the long-awaited takeover by The Friedkin Group finally complete. As the club prepares to bid adieu to Goodison Park after 133 years and move to their new home on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey, the city is also gearing up for this significant transition.
One of the main challenges associated with any football ground is managing vehicle traffic, and Bramley-Moore is no exception. With the push towards net zero and encouraging public transport use, Liverpool Council plans to implement an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) to manage car parking around the stadium and surrounding areas.
This could involve creating a new resident parking area, taxi ranks and bus stands near the 52,888 seater ground, similar to existing measures around Goodison and neighbouring Anfield. The overarching goal of the parking zone is to alleviate congestion, enhance air quality, safety and journey times to and from the stadium.
The city's parking modernisation plans are set to be complemented by the proposed changes, which include new operational hours for existing parking zones around Great Homer Street, Ten Streets, and Love Lane, as well as the introduction of new industrial zones at both ends of Boundary Street. The Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) will be in effect for 18 months, during which time a decision will be made on whether to make the changes permanent, amend them, or scrap them entirely.
Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, commented: "Bramley Moore is one of the most exciting development projects in the country and arguably in Europe, when you think about new stadium developments happening around the world I can't think of many that are as iconic or impactful in the construction that's almost complete.", reports .
He added, "It's absolutely vital that we not only build a brilliant stadium but that it works in its neighbourhood and hinterland."
However, Cllr Jane Corbett, former deputy mayor and Everton West ward member, expressed concerns, saying: "My concern is that the whole section of the ward is not linked in to the scheme or any other. My concern is therefore that the ETRO is not rolling far enough."
She also highlighted potential issues for residents, stating: "There could not be even more pressure being put on residents before it even gets better."
Her connection to the area is personal, as her husband serves as Everton FC's official chaplain.
Cllr Dan Barrington, Liverpool Council cabinet member for transport and connectivity, has shared his optimism about the new Everton Stadium's impact: "Everton Stadium is going to be transformational, especially for the surrounding Ten Streets district and the wider Kirkdale community. As well as the economic benefit, the vast volume of people the stadium will attract – and how they arrive and depart – needs to be carefully managed."
He further noted that "The North Docks area has never had to cope with such large numbers of people in such concentrated periods, but fortunately the city has the experience and knowledge thanks to Goodison Park and Anfield. By creating this new match day parking zone, we'll be looking to adopt and incorporate those controls which so effectively move tens of thousands every week."
Barrington also touched on the unique position of Bramley-Moore Dock: "Bramley-Moore Dock is also a unique location given its very close proximity to the city centre and the fact the surrounding transport infrastructure is well developed. There's more to be done but all the partners are talking to make those improvements."
He underscored the benefits of encouraging active travel to the games or events at the location: "We'll also be looking to encourage as many active travel options as possible for those attending the games or other events there, which is a win-win for everyone in terms of managing congestion and air quality and promoting healthy habits."
Acknowledging the input from the public, he concluded, "There are lots of residents and businesses, as well as Everton fans, who will be affected by these proposals and thanks to their feedback we've been able to formulate a plan which aims to accommodate their needs."
Liverpool Council has approved a significant alteration to the nearest station to Everton's new stadium, in anticipation of thousands of fans flocking to the area. The council greenlit a planning application for a fan management zone at Sandhills, as special measures are put in place to manage the expected surge in people using the station's narrow access and single island platform.
According to documents submitted by Merseytravel, plans have been developed in collaboration with Everton, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, British Transport Police, Liverpool Council and Merseyrail to handle the increased footfall. Everton's new stadium is set to increase Goodison Park's existing capacity by approximately 13,000 people.
An operational management statement read: "The results of this work indicate that although the platforms at Sandhills and the trains serving the station could accommodate and process the volume of predicted additional passengers expected to use the services in a reasonable time period, the access to the platforms is constrained, and this places a limitation on the number of passengers that can access/egress the platform at times of likely high demand."
A new pedestrian waiting area is being proposed to manage passengers during peak demand periods. The zone, which will be located on land owned by Merseytravel adjacent to the station, will be used at the end of football matches and other major events until passengers can safely board train services.
This requirement was specified in the Section 106 Agreement of an existing planning application for the new stadium. During off-peak times, the zone would revert back to its current use for storage of rail-related equipment or operation of rail replacement bus services.
Passengers will enter the zone from Sandhills Lane and be directed towards their destination queue. Those with reduced mobility will be diverted to a separate area for priority access to the station platform via existing ramps.
Users will move through the barrier/queuing system until they can board the next available train to their destination.
