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, submitting the planning application for the civils design completed by other parties.
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.
Awful ‘solution’, where’s the forward planning in this country when it comes to this kind of infrastructure? Stadium aside the whole area is designated for redvelopment from Liverpool Waters to Ten streets so rather than waiting for the station to already be inadequate with make shift sticking plasters can’t we build something future facing for once.
By L17
People will find their own routines with regards to match-day arrival and departure and the new stadium’s huge number of bars will likely see many of us hanging back for a pint after the game, helping manage demand at Sandhills and also Moorfields.
What galls is the ridiculous year-round parking control zone, which smacks of extreme over-reach. The petition against this topped 7,000 this morning and opposition is very vocal on LinkedIn and other social media channels. The council has seriously misjudged this issue and needs to wind back quickly.
By Saint Domingo
How on earth has a stadium been developed without proper consideration for parking and transport. Indicative of the council and planning teams that this is only now being raised… its pathetic as it was an issue easily recognisable in advance. Parking restrictions on local business will be horrendous… the council must do better to support these businesses.
By Concerned
How can LCC grapple with something (now) that has been glaringly obvious to anyone aware of the new stadium since its conception. A dock front stadium with 50k + capacity (wanting music gigs etc. out of season) and the city centre 1.5miles away…now grappling??? Did it not come up in conversation at the planning stage… was it not a stipulation that to build a new stadium, visitors will require an efficient access to the city. The thing is, most people in the LCC region won’t be surprised…
By G McCain
Massive failure not to have considered any of this at the time Bramley Moore was consented.
Not entirely sure why Rotheram and the CA are getting so much flack though – LCC as the planning authority should have included EFC paying for at least a total rebuild of Sandhills as a condition given it entirely lacks the needed capacity; expecting Merseytravel/LCRCA to find millions behind the sofa or divert it from elsewhere rather misses the point.
Hopefully it’s knocked on the head the planners’ notion that just not including parking will force people into their preferred active travel, also an LCC failure. The CA can’t act in any coordinating role when there’s nothing to coordinate.
The stupid business-killing 365-day parking restrictions look like a panic response from LCC while pointing to the wider problem that they lack even a basic understanding of what businesses need and how they function, not something which would be an issue in Manchester.
By Rotringer
We will soon have “trackless trams” aka buses so that should help. It’s Liverpool so we will probably get them by 2050.
By Tim
The new stadium is to be welcomed and elements have architectural merit.
It is though bounded water and a sewage works.
To all intents and purposes there is only one principal way in and out of the stadium.
Access and transportation are major issues.
It is incomprehensible that a plan has not been agreed with implementation well underway.
Notwithstanding test events at the new stadium, this has all been foreseeable.
By Optimistic Pragmatist
The bridge in image is needlessly overengineered. A far more economical and elegant solution must surely be possible?
By Obvious
This looks a knee jerk reaction to the incident last week.
The accessibility of the bridge appears to be limited and the long narrow walkway bottom right appears to be an accident waiting to happen?
By Just saying!
Looks like something I built in Rollercoaster Tycoon back in the day.
By Andee
They should have rebuilt Sandhills station to the north of Sandhills Ln, where it used to be. Much more room there.
By Darren
Neil , thank you for highlighting this debacle it truly is a shameful performance from those involved. The stadium has been at least 5 years from planning to completion yet absolutely nothing has been done at Sandhill except a contemptuous fan pen , out in the open air to slow down the passengers . We have to listen to pie in the sky ” Mersey Barrage ” or £100 million Baltic triangle station yet this is a £800 million 4th grace in the city and the transport planning and budget is 50p . Honestly is shameful and those involved should be named and shamed. They want to be in the sound bites and photo opportunities but have done nothing for transport . The spotlight is now firmly on those involved to solve this with a fit for purpose solution. The aggressive parking permit just about sums up the contempt towards this magnificent new addition to the city.
Neil well done and please keep this front and centre .
By Paul M - Woolton
They have had five years yes five years
By Anonymous
Only in the UK could we build a stadium and then think about access! Sandhills is at high level so why were access ramps to street level not built in years ago??? and yes – Sandhills is not a long way from the new stadium but not everyone can walk even that distance. When I was responsible for Merseyrail property – no problem – but twenty five years later if I hear that damned phrase Active Travel again ……………………….
By Old and Cynical
The stadium is known as the Everton Stadium, judging by the images provided people are going to have to climb a hell of a lot of stairs to reach their platforms, and that’s after a 15 minute walk from the stadium itself.
As regards the parking I randomly checked the parking controls used at Twickenham Stadium, where they get crowds of 82000, and its overwhelmingly residential round there but they get by with only parking restrictions on the day of an event and NOT all year round, whether it’s Rugby Union, rock concert, or other event, and this is much more sensible.
By Anonymous
Well done, Neil. The sheer incompetence and lack of foresight here is grounds for resignation, frankly. We are governed by the inept.
By More Anonymous than the others
This is one for Cllr Robinson and Mayor Rotherham to get a grip of and solve. The stupidity of what is going on is embarrassing for all involved.
By Anonymous
Need a whole new train station on another part of the line, and yes the Lib Dems are right ultimately you need trams too.
By Realist
Travel arrangements should have been included in the original concept and design of the new stadium, and compared with the alternative of a stadium built in Gillmoss area with it’s six lane road, motorway access and bus depot across the road, the club EFC should contribute the majority of costs to improve station access and not impose the expense onto the general public purse which is already tight
By Anonymous
The proposed new footbridge and ramps look to me like a very temporary fix as though LCC are trying to put a sticking plaster over a gaping wound. The new stadium looks totally amazing and the infrastructure for the movement of the fans should be equally as amazing and as well thought out too but it clearly isn’t and yet LCC have had nearly 5 years to plan it. Maybe in another 5 years LCC might actually put in place infrastructure that compliments and works for the stadium and its users or will it still be subject to yet more consultations! I strongly suspect it will be the latter!
By Brendan R
If you’re looking for a solution look no further than Canary Wharf underground station to see how Sandhill should have been modelled on.
By Peter Larsen
I used Sandhills on the day of the test event. On arrival first pinch point was exiting the train when I arrived around 6pm. Could not exit the train due to number of commuters on the platform. Platform not big enough. Pinch point number two is that the exit stairwell is also the entry stairwell. People moving up and down at same time due the narrow nature of this passageway
Clearly somebody recognised this when application was put in but here we are with expiry date in a couple of weeks and 53000 people turning up months for last test event
By David
The situation here could be better but I think some people are going into a bit of a panic over this whole situation when a couple of easy solutions could help things. Firstly the parking is too draconian as this is a non residential area and does not get busy on weekends or in the evenings, so why they have to control parking till midnight is a mystery especially as all people would have arrived at a night game by 8pm anyway.
Then as regards the trains ,just run more frequent and longer trains on the days and nights of matches and other events, and this will shift the crowds more speedily, go to any Arsenal or Chelsea home game and you will see very large crowds queuing for tubes after the match and these do take some time to shift even though tube trains are longer and more frequent.
By Anonymous
Agree with Obvious. The footbridge is a woeful solution. This area is not central London, the environs of Sandhills are a brownfield mess with so much potential for a bolder masterplan.
By LEighteen
The councils waterfront plan proposed a new station there but certain local councillors scoffed at the idea.
By New train station plz
Railway station required between Sandhills and Moorfields
By Anonymous