Football fans have been quick to make their feelings known about the images for Manchester United’s new stadium.
The club revealed the ambitious plans on March 11, which would see the club move away from its historical home into what would become the biggest stadium in the UK.
It’s reported the current Old Trafford stadium will be demolished.
Here it is…
The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said in January she backed plans for the regeneration of the Old Trafford area, though she did not explain how the government would support it.
The mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, added:. “If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012. Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world. To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realised, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the north-west and the country will be huge.”
Old Trafford
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, said: “Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport.”
United estimate the cost of building the stadium to be £2bn and are ambitious to complete the build within five years, with the architects, Foster + Partners behind the plans.
Norman Foster, the architect behind the plans, described a “vast umbrella” over the stadium that would harvest rainwater, rather than leak it like the current stadium does.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: “With a regeneration project of this scale, it needs to have a catalyst or a nucleus, otherwise it just becomes a new housing estate or a shopping centre
“The more iconic or the more extraordinary that the stadium is, the more successful the regeneration scheme will be.
“I think a really good example is the Eiffel Tower. Everyone around the world knows the Eiffel Tower: you go to Paris, you stay in Paris, you spend money. We have one billion people around the world who follow Manchester United. I think everybody in the world who’s interested in football will want to visit Old Trafford.”
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