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Everton chief executive Robert Elstone has revealed that the club
are considering their best course of action after plans for a new
stadium in Kirkby were rejected by the government yesterday.
The £400 million proposal was turned down due to the negative
impact it was felt a supermarket that was part of the development
would have on local businesses.
Elstone also hinted that the Toffees were now
prepared to consider sharing a ground with neighbours
Liverpool.
"If the scheme was rejected in a way that means we can amend it or
tailor it to give it greater chance of success than that's clearly
something we'll look at," Elstone told Sky Sports
News.
"We'll sit down with the partners and review the decision before we
make our next steps on that particular point."
As for whether the club's current ground Goodison Park can be
upgraded, Elstone doesn't feel that the potential for redevelopment
exists.
"It's a very small site, it's locked in by houses and businesses
and a church and a pub and a school, so to redevelop would be
incredibly challenging," he explained.
"When something is challenging and perhaps ambitious the other word
that often goes with that is expensive.
"We believe redevelopment of Goodison is very, very expensive.
Future stadium potential for Everton is not necessarily about land,
it's more about the cash, the affordability.
"That was the beauty of the Kirkby scheme which did come with a
substantial subsidy from Tesco. So any alternative is going to have
to address affordability.
"I would say as well that Kirkby for a long, long time has divided
the club and divided the fans. And who knows really the proportion
of fans who were for or against it - we don't know that.
"I think now is the time for the club to be reunited, because for
130 years we have been united. Fans, partners, all of us really
need to get behind the next steps for Everon whatever they might
be."
As a result, Elstone felt that the possiblity of sharing a new
stadium with Liverpool was now an option to be seriously
considered.
"Perhaps it will, and it's certainly one of the options that we
will need to cover. I come back to what I've just said though," he
added.
"A shared stadium is an option perhaps if it's affordable. It's the
affordability point we have to look at.
"Where we can raise money, potentially Liverpool will have to
contribute to that. Liverpool City Council perhaps might need to
find some money.
"So it's affordability on the shared stadium, it's not any
deep-seated opposition to sharing. Our history is one of creation
and innovation and if we're the first major English club to look at
sharing then we're not scared of making those decisions."
