Manchester United's stadium development chief says progress has been made on land deals and investor talks for a new 100,000-seater Old Trafford
A general view of Man Utd's proposed new stadium
Manchester United have ambitious plans for a new stadium (Image: Foster + Partners/PA Wire)
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Manchester United stadium development chief Collette Roche maintains significant headway has been made on proposals to construct a new £2billion Old Trafford, with discussions with investors progressing positively and land-acquisition agreements poised to be revealed shortly.
Since unveiling plans last year to construct a new 100,000-capacity Old Trafford on land next to the existing stadium, there has been no tangible progress made public, but Roche maintains the project has advanced behind closed doors. United have been working on securing land required to deliver the new stadium and the broader regeneration project, with the aim of securing a substantial plot of land currently owned by Freightliner proving to be a particular challenge.
But Roche revealed progress had been made on that front and indicated an announcement confirming a deal could be made in the next couple of months. She said: "We've made a lot of progress in the last 12 months. But to be fair, a lot of it has been behind the scenes.
"So people might not have seen that, but some of the examples of progress we've made are first and foremost in land assembly. "We want to make sure we get the best possible position for this stadium, one which has got plenty of land around it to put the right facilities in place, one that's connected and offers a great match day experience.
"So I've been spending a lot of time talking to all the local landowners to understand where that needs to be, and we're progressing that really, really well, and I'm hoping to be able to share some positive news on that front in the next few months."
United have also been attempting to secure investment for the scheme. Sir Jim Ratcliffe confirmed last year that they would finance the stadium through private funding, and Roche disclosed United had held discussions with "people and organisations" eager to get involved.
There have additionally been conversations with public authorities regarding taxpayer funding for infrastructure surrounding the stadium. Ratcliffe stated last year that public money would be required to fulfil the broader regeneration objectives around the stadium, with both plans going hand-in-hand.
An undated provided by Foster + Partners of a conceptual image of what the new Manchester United stadium and surrounding area could look like
A conceptual image of what the new Manchester United stadium and surrounding area could look like(Image: Foster + Partners/PA Wire)
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"I think the second area that we've done a lot in is around investment, and I'm delighted to say we've had a lot of interest," said Roche. "There's a lot of people and organisations that want to invest, not just in the stadium, but also in the wider stadium district. And so those conversations are naturally going to be behind closed doors.
"And I think the third part, but arguably the most important work we've been doing is really laying the foundations and relationships with the people that are going to make this happen.
"So primarily, it's the local authorities. It's working with the newly established Mayoral Development Corporation. Bit of a mouthful, but we call it the MDC. So that's chaired by Lord Seb Coe. And as we know, he's got tremendous experience in sports -led regeneration projects with the work he did in London 2012.
"It's supported by Andy Burnham, our mayor, who thinks it's going to bring amazing benefits for the city region and also by Tom Ross, who's obviously our leader here in Trafford. And so they're a really important group of people.
"They're the ones that are going to help us with the planning, make sure we've got the infrastructure around the stadium to be able to get in and out efficiently and effectively, but also the ones that will remove any obstacles that we come up against as we go through this build, and to make sure that we can deliver the benefits. As we've all said, we want to for the greater good."
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