The walk to Anfield for many match-going Liverpool fans could have a different complexion in the near future, particularly those approaching the stadium from the Walton Breck Road or Venmore Street.
As reported by Insider Media, the green light has been given to a proposed retail development near the Kop side of the ground on a plot of land near those two streets, with the £4m project scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2024.
Construction work is due to commence in September, with the outlet potentially comprising retailers such as Co-operative Convenience Store, Heron Frozen Foods, Subway, Papa John’s Pizza and Mother Hubbard Fish and Chips.
The development forms part of Liverpool City Council’s wider regeneration initiative for the area around Anfield.
If the proposed retail centre is completed in time for the 2024/25 season, it’ll be interesting to see what impact it has on the matchday experience for Reds supporters.
It should certainly provide greater choice for match-goers before and after games, while it could also have the substantial positive of creating jobs in and around the area and offer an economic boost.
However, there’s a possibility that it could impact smaller, long-serving traders at and near Anfield on matchdays, and it’d be a real shame to see those vendors being negatively affected by ubiquitous chain stores.
Hopefully the fans’ loyalty to their traditional stopping points for food and drink will remain, even with the proposed construction of this new retail development and its potential to alter the matchday experience for some supporters.