Liverpool confirm £60m expansion of the Anfield Road Stand will begin next week

Liverpool have confirmed that they will proceed with the planned expansion of the Anfield Road Stand next week.

The expansion – which will see 7,000 new seats added in a £60million redevelopment – received the approval of Liverpool City Council in June this year.

The move will see Anfield’s capacity increase to more than 61,000, making it the third largest in the Premier League in terms of capacity behind Manchester United’s Old Trafford and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

West Ham’s 80,000-seater London Stadium is currently allowing for a capacity of just 60,000 for football matches, meaning the Reds’ capacity will trump the east London side’s once the project – which will begin ‘in earnest’ next week with an ‘official ground-breaking ceremony’ – is completed.

Andy Hughes, managing director of Liverpool FC, said: ‘We have been clear from the beginning that in order for this expansion to go ahead we needed the co-operation of local residents and the community, to successfully navigate the complex planning landscape, and to ensure the project is financially viable.

‘We needed certainty for this project to progress and are now in a position to be able to move forward. 

‘We began this journey in 2014 and are grateful to everyone for the contributions they have made to bring the project to this stage.’

The expansion will take place in similar vein to the Main Stand, which was redeveloped in 2016, when 8,500 seats were added to a new three-tier stand at a cost of approximately £110m, taking the stadium’s capacity to more than 54,000.

The Reds have also said they expect the redevelopment – which had undergone enabling works during the summer – to create 400 new matchday roles to go with the 2,200 people who are currently employed by the club for every home fixture.

The redeveloped Anfield Road Stand is set to be ready for the 2023-24 season, the club added, with the design seeing the lower tier retained and refurbished with a new upper tier built above it.

The club however were insistent that they took ‘careful consideration’ not to damage Anfield’s ‘world-class atmosphere’ and ensure it matches the Main Stand acoustically.

Liverpool have also been awarded permission to hold up to six concerts and major events at the stadium for a period of five seasons.

Liverpool will work with Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd as the principal contractor on the project, with the company also set to help out the local community through employment and apprenticeships.

Council chiefs finally gave the club permission to begin the expansion in June after they submitted their plans at the start of December, despite some serious concerns from local residents about its impact on Stanley Park.

It was revealed that 27 trees will need to be removed from the park for the work to take place, but Liverpool attempted to allay those fears by promising to plant 70 new ones to replace them.