A local business consortium today unveiled a “Siamese stadium” to house both Liverpool and Everton football clubs.
The proposals show two grounds standing side by side in Stanley Park sharing one “central spine” wall.
The Mersey Stadia-Connex group, which is behind the idea, believes the “Siamese-style” blueprint could save the clubs between £180m and £220m.
They argue it would allow both Liverpool and Everton to maintain separate stadiums – but the unique design will hugely reduce overall costs.
Images reveal a two-sided, ten-level central hub, with a 60,000 ground capacity for Liverpool and 50,000 for Everton.
Both stadia, the consortium say, could be extended to accommodate an extra 10,000 fans with work completed by 2013.
The scheme includes a 300-bed hotel, complete corporate and hospitality facilities, 150 executive boxes, and an underground car park with 1,350 spaces.
The central spine entrance features an atrium and hotel tower extending four storeys above the stadium roof.
Around 200 of the 300 hotel bedrooms face the pitch, and also twin as executive boxes with balconies.
Representatives from Mersey Stadia-Connex are understood to have communicated on a number of occasions, once face-to-face, with senior Everton FC bosses.
However, publicly, the Blues dismissed the plan, denying any contact with the group and describing the scheme as “unworkable, unaffordable and undeliverable”.
Liverpool FC were sent copies of the plans but have made no contact with Mersey Stadia-Connex.
An LFC spokesman said: “We remain committed to building our new stadium in Stanley Park.”
The Connex group is made up of architects, structural, civil and services engineers and a construction and cost consultant.
The National Football Museum, currently relocating their main base from Preston to Manchester, has expressed interest in the project.
The Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) was shown the proposals but appear to have distanced themselves, advising the Connex group it was the clubs’ prerogative to put forward new proposals.
The project, which has taken eight months to design, is said to have reached “outline planning design stage and initial project construction cost status”.
The group has based its plan on Stanley Park.
But they said the scheme could still be “transferable” to alternative sites, and would allow each club to put together its own stadium-naming rights package.
A spokesperson for the Mersey Stadia-Connex group said: “We need to reach the prospective new owners of Liverpool FC to inform them about this sensational investment opportunity.
“Most fans will understand the many advantages and financial implications.
“This scheme differs from all previous concepts during the last decade in that we believe it manages to achieve all the clubs’ objectives.
“Primarily they seem to be, in the absence of it being practical to rebuild Anfield and Goodison, to offer state-of-the-art, 21st-century facilities to their faithful supporters, increased capacity and transformed hospitality, while retaining the strongest link to their heritage, all in a way which delivers the very best value for money in order to ultimately enhance their on-field performances and successes.
“As important as any of those just mentioned is the passionate desire to retain independence from each other, and we are protecting that requirement through a brilliant design concept formulated by Merseysiders for Merseysiders, where what is required is an open-mindedness and a degree of cooperation.”
Mersey Stadia-Connex also wished to clarify they do not represent or act with authority for either Liverpool or Everton FC.
