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Liverpool FC have received a significant boost with consultation suggesting widespread public support for their new £50m training base in Kirkby.

The planning application for the complex - which will combine first team facilities with the Academy - has now been published on Knowsley council’s website.

The document reveals that at public consultation, 94% of public comments were supportive of the proposals.

(Image: Photo by James Maloney)

That will be a significant boost to the Reds who hope to progress the application swiftly with a view to starting work next year and moving into the new base in summer 2019.

The planning application asks for full permission for some aspects of the scheme and outline permission for the more major developments within the project, including a new combined training centre for first team and U23 players, a full-size indoor pitch and a new parents’ centre.

In its introduction, the application prepared by architects KSS - who designed Liverpool’s new Main Stand - states: ”The first team currently train on a separate site at Melwood, West Derby, Liverpool and LFC wish to bring the two sites together to support the development of young players and provide facilities comparable to other top clubs.

“The existing site layout will be retained largely as it is, with the majority of the new development centred on the acquisition of a portion of the Eddie McArdle playing fields from KMBC.”

As part of that deal with Knowsley, Liverpool will build and maintain five new pitches and new changing facilities on the remaining part of the Eddie McCardle pitches and this forms the final part of the planning application.

Full planning permission is sought for:

• Minor extension and internal refurbishment of the existing Academy building

• Extension to the existing Ian Frodsham indoor hall to improve away changing rooms

• New LFC pitches, site boundary treatment, perimeter bunding and landscaping

• New community changing rooms and associated pitches/landscaping.

Outline planning permission is sought for:

• New training centre for first team and U23 squad

• Entrances to new training centre

• New grounds maintenance building

• New parents room

• New full-sized indoor pitch

• New external sports courts

The first team and U23 players will occupy different parts of the new training facility and will access it through different entrances, with Klopp’s squad using a new “discreet” entrance on Arbour Lane.

The application states: “An early decision was made to retain the existing academy layout as much as possible and locate the new training centre and pitches towards the northern end of the site with a new entrance.

“A further key decision was the proposal to create two separate entrances and car parks for the new training centre building. This would allow a dedicated entrance for first team players and staff to access the facilities in a more discreet and secure manner. The first team pitches are also intentionally separated from the academy and screened by landscape to provide the necessary privacy and wind mitigation.”

The main U23s’ pitch will be in front of the new training centre and will be served by a 499-capacity stand for spectators.

On the other side of the centre will be the first team pitches which will be surrounded by landscaping for privacy.

The training centre will be two storeys high and cover 8,500 m2. The first team will occupy the northern and eastern portion of the plan with the U23s having the southern

and western portion to be accessed from Simonswood Lane.

It is stated that the building’s architecture will “reflect the club’s brand and values” and several hundred new trees will be planted as part of formal boulevards or as perimeter screening. Most of the proposed trees will be semi mature.