Liverpool FC stadium move granted

Liverpool Football Club's plans for a new �400m stadium have been passed.

The 60,000 capacity ground at Stanley Park has been unanimously approved by Liverpool City Council planning committee after a five-hour meeting.

The premiership club's new stadium will hold 15,000 more fans than the existing site, but that could increase to 75,000 in the future.

The plan was resubmitted to planners after American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett were unhappy with them.

The new stadium will hold 114 executive boxes, twice the number in the original design, and will regenerate public land which stands between Anfield and Everton's ground, Goodison Park.

Paul Hyett, chairman of HKS Architects in charge of the stadium project, said: "You don't often get one like this to deal with. Most people never get to work on one like this.

"It's a fantastic job to be involved with, a fantastic city and fantastic club."

A spokesman for Liverpool FC said work on the new stadium could begin almost immediately and was expected to be finished by August 2011.

Source: BBC Sport