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Liverpool FC remain firmly committed to completing the redevelopment of Anfield by 2018.

The publication of today’s Anfield Spatial Regeneration Framework (SRF) in draft form is an important step towards submitting a formal planning application to transform the Main Stand and Anfield Road and - hopefully - increase the stadium’s capacity from 45,000 to around 60,000.

Read More: We won't be held to ransom over Anfield, says Joe Anderson

The document outlines all the proposals for the £260 million wider regeneration of the Anfield area.

If it is approved by Liverpool City Council on February 7 there will be a four-week public consultation period before it is finalised.

It will then be submitted to the council again in April and if it gets the green light Liverpool FC could then be in a position to make a planning application.

Of the 71 properties needed for the potential expansion of the stadium, just four are still to be acquired.

They are owned are two landlords and negotiations with them are ongoing.

If deals cannot be agreed then as a last resort the council will pursue compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers in order to secure the properties.

Until there is certainty over the land and they have the backing of both local residents and businesses, plus planning permission, Anfield officials remain wary of making promises about their construction plans.

The ECHO revealed back in October 2012 that Fenway Sports Group's preference was to embark on a £150million redevelopment of Anfield rather than build a new ground in Stanley Park.

Liverpool’s owners successfully completed a similar scheme at the home of Boston Red Sox, the historic Fenway Park.

The club already has extensive plans in place to refurbish Anfield, having worked closely with a team of planners, architects and structural engineers.

Phase one of the redevelopment would involve the Main Stand. Construction wouldn’t impact on the existing capacity as the new stand would be built behind and above the existing structure over the course of the season.

It would then be completed during the summer months.

A new, bigger Main Stand is the club’s priority but they will also seek planning permission to refurbish the Anfield Road end.

That stand is viewed as the second phase of building work which will only begin once the Main Stand has been completed.

A sponsorship deal for naming rights to the new Main Stand is under discussion but officials insist finance for the project isn’t dependent on it.