Manchester United secure site for new stadium after switching location
Manchester United have snapped up a 25-acre plot of land for their proposed 100,000-seater stadium after deciding to change the location of the project.
United announced they had acquired a site 350m to the north west of their current ground from industrial land owner Indurent, which they say represents “the majority of the land required” to build a stadium that has been dubbed New Trafford and a Wembley of the North.
It is to the north of a plot over which the club had been involved in a stand-off with rail logistics company Freightliner, whose asking price was reported to be £400m – far higher than United were prepared to pay.
“Today’s news highlights the progress we’re making towards a world-class new home for Manchester United and represents a significant milestone as we move into the next phase of development,” said Collette Roche, CEO of Manchester United’s New Stadium Development.
“Being able to build so close to Old Trafford allows us to preserve the heritage, traditions and rituals that are so important to our fans. We are committed to building a world-class stadium with our supporters, not just for them, with atmosphere, affordability and accessibility at the heart of our thinking.
“This is a generational opportunity that is fully aligned with both local and national growth ambitions. Securing the right land for our new home has been absolutely critical, and the land we’ve acquired gives us the stage to deliver a truly world-class stadium that honours our past and is ready for our future.”
United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made building a new stadium to replace their ageing current home a key priority and hired leading architects Foster + Partners to produce the blueprints, which were published almost two years ago.
Since then the club have been wrangling over the Freightliner site, which lies directly south of the plot acquired from Indurent. It is understood that the site could yet form part of the wider regeneration project.
A 100,000-seater venue would instantly become Britain’s largest, eclipsing Wembley’s 90,000 capacity. Ratcliffe had hoped to secure public funding for the project but any subsidies look set to be limited to development of the surrounding area.
United are working with Trafford Council and the Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation on the regeneration, which they say will create around 15,000 new homes, 90,000 jobs, and add more than £7bn a year to the UK economy.
During his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Labour leadership favourote Andy Burnham said that a compulsory purchase order for the Freightliner land might be an option if talks remained deadlocked.