| Client | Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Limited |
|---|---|
| Turley office | Manchester |
| Status | Ongoing. Planning permission granted |
| LPA | Knowsley Council |
Development of a new world-class training ground for Liverpool Football Club
Our role
- The Liverpool Football Club Academy has been based at the site since 1998, whilst the First Team has its training ground at Melwood, Liverpool.
- The club wishes to bring the two sites together to create a ‘Training Ground’ befitting their elite status, helping them to maintain competitiveness with other top national and international clubs.
- The project involved negotiations with Knowsley Council, who owned the land, and sought enhancements to their own community playing fields on the balance of the site, enabling intensification of their use by numerous local sports clubs.
- Turley provided Planning services to obtain both the hybrid and subsequent reserved matters permissions. We also provided planning advice to secure a successful parallel Road Closure Order that was necessary for site assembly.
- Our Strategic Communications team worked collaboratively with the club’s PR team to manage engagement with the local community and key stakeholders.
- We have ongoing instructions to discharge conditions and manage applications for non-material amendments as the plans for the facility are refined.
Results
- We worked closely with the Football Club, LPA and Sport England to deliver planning permission for the training ground and improved community sports facilities.
- The development is under way, the community pitches have opened and the training ground is scheduled to be operational at the start of the 2020/2021 football season.
- We also secured a separate consent for the existing training centre at Melwood to be redeveloped for much needed family housing in Liverpool.
Image courtesy of KSS Group