New Liverpool FC stadium: Police demand right to tow cars
Nov 1 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post
LLEGALLY parked cars should be towed away from streets around Liverpool FC’s new £400m stadium to prevent the Anfield area being gridlocked on match days.
That is the new demand from Merseyside Police in response to the club’s revised plans for a new ground that could eventually hold 76,000 fans.
Liverpool City Council is currently expanding parking control zones around both Liverpool and Everton football grounds.
But Merseyside Police want a stringent enforcement policy to deter fans from leaving their vehicles close to the ground.
A number of fans currently take the risk of abandoning their vehicles, sharing the £30 penalty if they are given a ticket.
Towing cars away to a special compound, with much higher retrieval costs, would act as a strong deterrent.
Although the police support an expanded park and ride scheme for supporters heading to Stanley Park, senior officers have expressed scepticism about the ability of Liverpool FC or the council to change the culture of fans accustomed to travelling to the stadium by car.
The views of the police will be expressed at a special meeting of the city council’s planning committee next Tuesday, when councillors will decide whether the amended plans for a new stadium should be approved.
Council planning managers are recommending the go-ahead for the iconic stadium, completely re-designed following the takeover of Liverpool FC this year by US businessmen George Gillette and Tom Hicks.
In a response to the planning application Merseyside Police says the council has not yet invoked additional powers for vehicle removal.
When the council took over parking enforcement several years ago from police traffic wardens, politicians decided against introducing a clamping or tow-away policy.
In its response, Merseyside Police says that to encourage more fans to use park-and-ride facilities, vigorous enforcement is essential.
Police say the Anfield area suffers from significant problems of car theft and thefts from vehicles on match days.
The problem is so serious that on match days police have to implement a major auto-crime operation – Operation Indigo – to try to manage the theft problem.
The fear among senior officers is that the doubling of the parking control zone will displace the crime problems further away from the ground into neighbourhoods currently unaffected.
“An opportunity exists with the development to ensure there is sufficient and secure car parking for all attending the new stadium,” says Merseyside Police.
Another issue raised by the police is that the current ground has 1,000 car parking places, but even though the capacity will rise to 60,000 the number of spaces provided will fall to 970.
“Merseyside Police is sceptical about the ability of the Park and Ride system to cope adequately on busy match days and also its appeal to fans that have traditionally travelled to matches by car.”
The concern about a park and ride scheme is that if 30,000 fans decided to park at one of three dedicated zones, it would require 600 bus journeys to transport them to and from the ground.
There are worries that large numbers of fans waiting for the buses could pose a public order risk on the highway.
Three large park and ride areas are earmarked for Aintree Station, Sandhills and Pall Mall.
TOMORROW: For or against the stadium: battle lines are drawn.
larryneild
New ground expected to strengthen LFC’s hold on top of Anfield jobs league
LIVERPOOL FC is the largest employer in the Anfield area, with 256 staff on its payroll. They work in the offices, ticket offices, club shop, museum as well as in the grounds maintenance section. The number also includes playing and coaching staff. On match days, a further 1,400 part-time workers are employed as stewards, ground marshals and catering staff.
It was in 1892 that Liverpool FC was founded at the Anfield Road ground. Before that the site had been homes to Everton FC who started life on a pitch in Stanley Park in the 1880s before moving to Goodison Park.
Anfield’s current capacity of 45,000 is exceeded in England by just five stadia: Old Trafford (76,000), Emirates (60,000), St James’ Park (51,000), Stadium of Light (49,000) and City of Manchester (48,000).
With the enlarged ground of 60,000 and Anfield Plaza the number of jobs could reach 800.
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2007/11/01/new-liverpool-fc-stadium-police-demand-right-to-tow-cars-64375-20042039/