Liverpool leaders grapple with Bramley-Moore access issues
Everton’s new stadium is attracting admiration, but there are calls for action on transport and travel ahead of next season.
Test events are underway at the waterfront Bramley-Moore Dock stadium, with the first friendly match played in front of fans passing off successfully last week.
The stadium’s design has been met with widespread approval. However, the expiry date is now looming for a planning application covering a new footbridge and access infrastructure at Sandhills station.
Owen Ellis Architects is working with applicant Merseytravel on the project.
The project ties in with the crowd management zone, submitted last summer and now in place, that has come under fire in recent weeks
In addition to the crowd management zone, plans were filed in October, and validated by Liverpool City Council in December, for a capacity improvement project. This comprises:
- A staircase, footbridge, and ramp with associated landings to access existing platforms, from the corralling area
- An emergency staircase and footpath to Dunes Way, linked to the new staircase/footbridge.
- A new Merseyrail secure compound area to include concrete pads for containers, new fencing with pedestrian and vehicular access gates.
Sandhills station was most recently redeveloped and refurbished between 2007 and 2009.
Access will be managed by trained personnel on matchdays and other major events.
As set out in the design & access statement, the proposed ramp, staircase, and footbridge arrangement has been designed to accommodate existing site constraints whilst delivering people to and from the south end of the island platform, reducing and alleviating the capacity pressure on existing infrastructure and platform access.
The crowd management zone, combined with the additional platform access will provide greater accessibility and inclusivity for people with reduced mobility, the architect said. The station does already have accessible ramps and lift.
Concerns have been raised in the local press and on social media about the impact of larger crowds on Sandhills station. The initial test event was for 10,000 spectators only, around a fifth of the expected matchday crowds next season, yet still saw concerns voiced.
Test events will see numbers increase incrementally. Everton said that the next event will house 25,000 fans in late March or early April, before a third event before the end of the season.
Social media comments since have seen criticism of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for not acting earlier to get the necessary travel infrastructure in place at what has traditionally been a fringe station, but long earmarked as the nearest station for the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium, on which construction started in early 2022.
As outlined in the documents filed with the Sandhills project, officials from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Merseytravel has been working in partnership with Everton, Merseyrail Electrics, the city council, British Transport Police, Merseyside Police and other key partners on transport.
Club and authority figureheads are due to meet with supporter representatives on the issues.
In a separate issue that has arisen around Everton’s move to Bramley-Moore Dock, Liverpool City Council has been criticised over a proposal for year-round parking restrictions on streets within a 30-minute walking radius of the new ground.
Although LCC has said that the project is an experimental 18-month programme, opposition has swiftly been voiced from businesses that had expected restrictions on matchdays only.
The Sandhills improvement proposals can be viewed on LCC’s planning portal with the reference 24F/2773. Validated in December, the expiry date as listed on LCC’s website is 14 March 2025.
