Manchester United has unveiled its vision for the regeneration of Old Trafford centred on the club’s proposal for a new 100,000-seat stadium.
The stadium, and wider regeneration project, add the club’s clout to the government’s growth agenda, with a claimed potential to deliver an additional £7.3bn per year to the UK economy. This in turn offers the prospect for large-scale social and economic benefits to the community and wider region.
Benefits could include the possible creation of 92,000 new jobs, more than 17,000 new homes, as well as driving an additional 1.8m visitors annually.
Conceptual images and scaled models of what the new stadium and surrounding area could look like were unveiled earlier this week by Foster + Partners, the architecture group appointed to design the stadium district. The practice will provide a masterplan for more detailed feasibility, consultation, design and planning work as the project enters a new phase.
Lord Norman Foster, founder and executive chairman at Foster + Partners, likened the proposals to the creation of a “ miniature city of the future”.
“This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today, with incredible regional and national significance,” he said. “It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar.
“The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square. The outward-looking stadium will be the beating heart of a new sustainable district, which is completely walkable, served by public transport, and endowed by nature.
“It is a mixed-use miniature city of the future – driving a new wave of growth and creating a global destination that Mancunians can be proud of.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, said: “[This] marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium, at the centre of a regenerated Old Trafford.
“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport. By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience only footsteps from our historic home.
“Just as important is the opportunity for a new stadium to be the catalyst for social and economic renewal of the Old Trafford area, creating jobs and investment not just during the construction phase but on a lasting basis when the stadium district is complete. The government has identified infrastructure investment as a strategic priority, particularly in the North of England, and we are proud to be supporting that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance.”
Omar Berrada, chief executive of Manchester United, said: “Our long-term objective as a club is to have the world’s best football team playing in the world’s best stadium. We are grateful for the feasibility work done by the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force exploring options for the future of Old Trafford.
“We have carefully considered its findings, together with the views of thousands of fans and local residents and concluded that a new stadium is the right way forward for Manchester United and our surrounding community. We will now embark on further consultation to ensure that fans and residents continue to be heard as we move towards final decisions.”
Lord Sebastian Coe, chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, said: “Today marks an important step forward in what I firmly believe can be the biggest and most exciting urban regeneration project in the UK since the 2012 London Olympics.
“I am proud to have helped lay the groundwork as chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force over the past year and would like to thank my fellow members for their contributions. Our exploratory work is now complete, and we will hand over responsibility to Manchester United for delivery of the stadium, and the Mayoral Development Corporation to drive forward the wider regeneration.”
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, added: “Our common goal on the task force has been to try to unlock the full power of the club for the benefit of its supporters and for Greater Manchester as a whole – creating thousands of new homes and jobs.
“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012. Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world. To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realised, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the North West and the country will be huge.”
Main image: Conceptual image of a new 100,000-seat stadium by Foster + Partners. (Photo: Business Wire)
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