New stadium delay costs £750,000 a month
Mar 30 2005
EXCLUSIVE by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
THE soaring price of delays to Liverpool FC's new stadium plans is costing the club more than £750,000 a month.
As rising construction costs force up the price of the planned 60,000-seater stadium, some experts say the monthly rise is nearer £1m.
It comes as the North West Development Agency continues to stall on releasing an £ 11m grant for the club, in a bid to resurrect the failed groundshare plan with Everton.
Stanley Park Stadium project has already escalated from £80m in 2003 to £120m.
Yet three government departments involved in the saga have no plans to pressurise the NWDA to make a decision.
NWDA chairman Bryan Gray wants the ground share plan to go ahead, even though sports minister Richard Caborn has already declared it a non-starter.
Now industry experts have warned that buildings costs will soar again as the north west construction boom continues.
Over the past year tender prices in the building industry have risen by up to 7% and, driven by higher demand and rising material prices, building costs have risen by 7.3% over the past year.
The office of the deputy prime minister had the chance to "call in" the stadium proposal for closer examination after it received planning permission from the council, but chose not to.
A spokesman said the department's involvement ended there as the NWDA was the responsibility of the Department for Trade and Industry.
But the DTI said how the NWDA distributes its money is completely its own decision.
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