Quincy Charles
Everton FC has gained ownership of the Bramley-Moore Dock property where its new £505 million stadium will be constructed.
The club said in an update to fans that allowing work on the waterfront property will begin soon, and that supporters should not attempt to access the area.
Director of Stadium Development, Colin Chong, said:
“There is – and will continue to be – a lot of heavy goods vehicles arriving delivering plant equipment and supplies. There will be no public access through the gates at Bramley-Moore Dock and the health and safety of everyone on-site is a priority.
“In the coming weeks, we will be installing a web camera allowing you to see live images of what is happening at the site. In addition to the webcam, we will also soon be launching a new project website which will house all our latest news and which will act as the portal for any questions you may have for us.”
“While the infilling of the dock is still some weeks away, we have been repairing the dock wall which will be preserved underneath our new stadium. We have also carried out several surveys beneath the water in the dock, including an unexploded ordinance survey and I’m sure you’ll be delighted to hear that so far there is nothing in there that concerns us.
“Our next steps for the dock are to ensure we carefully remove and rehome any wildlife and other organisms in the water before we begin infilling the dock with sand from the Mersey estuary in the autumn.”
The club plans to work on the eastern quayside in August, according to Mr Chong.
“There has been a lot of talk about heritage this week, but we have been clear throughout our planning that respecting and enhancing heritage has always been one of our key principles.
“Our commitment to bringing the dock’s heritage features to life has not changed and we will be investing more than £55m to preserve, restore and celebrate the heritage assets at Bramley-Moore Dock.”
He added: “I am proud of our achievements to date and grateful to the board and Mr Moshiri (owner) for their continued commitment and investment in our club’s future. It is an honour to be leading a dedicated project team of Everton staff who, like me, are delighted to receive the keys for the site and, alongside Laing O’Rourke, begin the process of building a stadium Evertonians will call ‘home’ for generations to come.”
