No Public Funds for Old Trafford Revamp

No public money will be spent on Manchester United’s plans for revamping their Old Trafford home for the time being, the mayor of Greater Manchester has confirmed.

Andy Burnham has outlined ambitions to redevelop the stadium alongside a “mixed use” neighbourhood featuring apartment blocks, shopping centres and new public transport stations.

The club’s owners are currently considering whether to pursue a £2bn plan for a brand new 100,000-seat stadium or redevelop the existing ground.

However, a freight rail terminal situated behind the stadium needs to be moved to free up land to make room for any expansion and Mr Burnham suggested some taxpayers’ cash could go into infrastructure needed to move it to Merseyside.

Old Trafford, which currently has a capacity of 74,310, has been Manchester United’s home since 1910.

While it will be up to the club to fund any new stadium or refurbishment, the mayor said it was possible some taxpayer cash could go into infrastructure for the new neighbourhood in the future, to help build transport links.

Mr Burnham has now called on the government to fund plans to connect the under-construction Parkside freight terminal on the St Helens-Wigan border to the West Coast Main Line, which could cost in the region of hundreds of millions of pounds.

“What you have here is the huge potential to fix the rail system of the north west of England,” he said at the Labour conference in Liverpool.

Mr Burnham added taking the freight to Parkside and out of Manchester city centre “fixes things for passengers”.

“They won’t have to have the freight disruption,” he said. “What that then does is free up the space around Old Trafford so the club is able to have all of its options looked at and has the biggest possible footprint to use so it can bring forward the most ambitious regeneration.

“We hope it’s the best football stadium in the world, which brings benefits to residents around it.”

The mayor was joined by ex-Manchester United and England star Gary Neville, who sits on a taskforce created by the club to evaluate the best options for the future of Old Trafford.

Neville said he was “not bothered if it’s either” a new stadium, or the existing one being refurbished.

“The most important thing is Manchester United end up with a world-class stadium,” he added.

“I’m more interested in the overall masterplan in the surrounding area. We have seen what happens when you put football at the heart of that regeneration.”

Source: BBC Sports