Planners 'minded to refuse' Liverpool FC bid to keep road closed

Councillors have moved to reject Liverpool FC's bid to keep a road next to Anfield stadium permanently closed to vehicles for what the club says are safety reasons.

Liverpool City Council's planning committee said it was "minded to refuse" the application, despite planning officers recommending approval.

The vote was not a formal refusal and the application will return to the committee for a final decision.

Part of Anfield Road in a residential area of north Liverpool was closed in 2021 while the Anfield Road Stand was expanded.

A new road was built between the stand and Stanley Park to replace that section.

The original planning agreement required the new road to open to motor vehicles when the stand's new seats were first used. It has never done so.

Residents say keeping it closed has pushed more traffic on to nearby streets. In its application, Liverpool said opening it would create road and stadium safety risks.

The new road links Alroy Road and Skerries Road. Pedestrians and cyclists can use it, except when it is closed for matches or other major events.

Savannah Shellard, 17, a sixth-form student from Anfield, said Walton Breck Road had become busier and harder to cross after she got off the bus.

She said getting home could be "quite intimidating for a young girl like me".

Savannah said the vote made her feel residents had been heard.

Councillors proposed refusing the application because of traffic flow, the effect on residents and environmental nuisance.

The application also said opening the road could endanger pedestrians and leave part of the stadium perimeter without barriers against a vehicle attack.

Counter Terrorism Policing North West supported keeping it closed.

The council's building control service said opening it could affect the safety certificate needed to operate the stadium.

Planning officers said the effects on traffic levels and journey times were not serious enough to make the closure unacceptable.

Council air quality specialists said the predicted effect on air quality was not significant.

Anfield ward councillor Billy Marrat said the road could close on match and event days but open at other times.

"The rest of the days of the week, that road should be open to residents," he said.

Marrat said the application had been "very damaging" to relations between the club and residents.

Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, spoke as a resident and former councillor.

He said residents and councillors had worked hard to rebuild trust with the club and it was "like a kick in the teeth" and "a retrograde step" in its relationship with the community.

The same application would also allow concerts and other major events in July for one more season after 2026, before the temporary permission expires. The annual limit of six and a 31-day break without football or other major events would remain.

At an earlier committee meeting, Liverpool FC's planning agent Mark Worcester said the July restriction had prevented an undisclosed "global act" from playing at Anfield, resulting in lost revenue for the city.

Liverpool FC said it could not comment while the planning process remained ongoing.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.