Bramley-Moore Dock & Liverpool Waters — how Everton FC’s new stadium became a catalyst for wider commercial development and regeneration

The regeneration of Bramley-Moore Dock for Everton FC’s new £500m, 52,888-capacity stadium demonstrates how integrating sports stadium developments into broader regeneration strategies enables cities like Liverpool to attract investment, revitalise areas and create thriving mixed-use environments that benefit businesses, residents and local economies alike.

Here, Cherry Swift and Josh Wing explore the legal and commercial considerations that underpin successful sport-led regeneration — highlighting how such projects can unlock real estate opportunities, reshape urban landscapes and foster sustainable economic growth in local areas — as well as the importance of delicately balancing local heritage and social need to align the ‘beating heart’ of a place or space with a view towards the future.

Bramley-Moore Dock — a brief history

Built in the 1840s, Bramley-Moore Dock was once a crucial part of Liverpool’s industrial and maritime economy. However, as shipping activity declined, the site became underused as large parts of the docklands fell into disuse. 

Everton FC’s decision to build a new stadium on the site represented a strategic opportunity to kickstart regeneration in the area by creating a vibrant waterfront district with significant real estate and economic potential less than one mile from the famous city centre.

This project will also link Bramley-Moore Dock back into the city centre — catalysing further development along the mile-long stretch between Bramley-Moore and the Liver Building, which already includes Liverpool Waters and the prestigious Titanic Hotel.

Integrating the stadium into a wider regeneration scheme

Peel Waters — the owner of Liverpool Waters, including Bramley-Moore Dock — played a crucial role in the Club’s stadium development by facilitating the lease of the development site to Everton FC and supporting the project’s integration into the wider Liverpool Waters regeneration scheme. 

We were proud to support Peel Waters in its work with Everton FC and Liverpool City Council to align the project with the broader regeneration framework. 

This included extensive infrastructure improvements — such as enhanced transport links and public realm investments — which were funded by a combination of private capital and public sector support through a partnership-led approach. This harnessed the collaborative approach of Liverpool City Region and its stakeholders with the private sector, evidencing how public and private sectors can work together to produce outstanding and city-defining projects.

Now, Bramley-Moore Dock will serve as the preeminent heritage project for the city, attracting tourism and investment. Its strategic location also ensures that the growth of the city centre extends to this regenerated northern quarter, providing a stimulus for development opportunities in the northern end of Liverpool Waters. 

Economic impact

The economic picture is bright for Bramley-Moore, with the project estimated to:

1. Bring upwards of £1.3bn into the local economy.
2. Attract 1.4m visitors annually to the city — further boosting the visitor economy, which is a key component of the city’s economic offering.
3. Provide 15,000 jobs for local people.
4. Generate an estimated £250m towards local supply chains and businesses.
5. Provide an estimated £30m to local families working on the development.
6. Generate over £2m to Liverpool City Council in council tax.
7. Provide almost an extra £2m in business rates.

In addition, while Bramley-Moore is first and foremost a football stadium, Everton FC identified the potential to operate it as a multi-use facility, ensuring that the stadium could host other events to increase footfall and revenue, such as outdoor concerts, other major sporting events, large conferences and small community meetings. 

Community impact

The value of stadium development projects often extends beyond the financial by providing a multi-generational community return. Clubs should always consider community engagement, alternative investment models and sustainability practices as part of any stadium development strategy.

The importance of public engagement to achieve community impact was recognised by Everton FC early in the Club’s development process, with the Club undertaking comprehensive public, fan and stakeholder engagement. This included more than 63,000 responses received across two stages of formal public consultation. The second stage of consultation — held in summer 2019 — generated more than 43,000 responses, with 96 per cent of respondents saying that they wanted ‘The People’s Project’ (the combined Bramley-Moore and Goodison Park redevelopment plans) to progress. 

Leaving the Club’s spiritual home of Goodison Park could have created a social and economic void in the local area. However, Everton FC has sought to avoid this by making Goodison Park a legacy project. This includes working with local partners to create a unique community facility that comprises of:

• New housing.
• Health facilities — including mental health support facility known as ‘The People Place’.
• Community facilities — including ‘The People’s Hub’ community centre and ‘Blue Base’ as a function space.
• Education facilities — including the ‘Free School’ funded by the Department for Education and managed by the Club's charity Everton in the Community. The ‘Free School’ aims to offer personalised learning programs tailored to each student's needs and aspirations. It provides academic and vocational learning opportunities, with a focus on emotional and academic development.
• Sheltered housing for local and elderly residents.
• Business start-up facilities.

As a result of this, ‘The People’s Project’ is expected to bring an additional £240m in social value to allow Everton FC to build on the life-changing work of Everton in the Community. This further underlines Everton FC’s identity as ‘The People’s Club’, showing its huge commitment to the area in its investment. 

Environmental impact

When it comes to modern infrastructure development, it has become paramount to incorporate sustainability considerations. 

In recognition of this, Bramley-Moore harnesses solar, wind and rain power to create green energy and reduce traditional energy consumption — further evidencing how such large infrastructure projects and sustainability agendas can work side by side. This includes generating electricity from solar panels, installing a water source heat pump, harvesting rainwater for use in toilets and providing charging facilities in the car park for electric and hybrid vehicles. 

The transport strategy around the stadium also encourages green travel, with a focus on pedestrian and bus transport from the city centre.

Funding and investment models

Funding and investment strategy is another key component in sport development projects of this scale.

In the case of Bramley-Moore, financing was structured through a mix of private investment and Club funding, showcasing collaborative practices in leveraging sports-led regeneration for long-term economic growth.

There was also some financial subsidy from Liverpool City Region, which further highlights the positive partnership that exists between private and public bodies as stakeholders in the city.

Preserving heritage in regeneration schemes

For its new stadium, Everton FC worked closely with local authorities to balance conservation with economic development objectives. 

This included:

• Preserving historic features — incorporating elements of the site's industrial past, including the restoration and relocation of the historic Grade II-listed Bramley-Moore Dock Towers, to maintain the area's heritage.
• Maritime conservation efforts — collaborating with heritage bodies to ensure the preservation of famous cobbled dock walls, capstones, mooring posts, railway lines and other graded listed structures, integrating them into the stadium’s design.
• Adaptive reuse of industrial spaces — retaining key architectural features to reflect the dock’s historical significance while allowing for modern commercial opportunities.
• Honouring Everton FC’s club history — paying homage to the original architect of Goodison Park (Archibald Keir Leitch), who was famous for designing football and sports stadia throughout the UK during the late 1800s and early 1900s, including Highbury (Arsenal’s former home), Old Trafford (home of Manchester United), Villa Park (home of Aston Villa), Ibrox (home of Rangers) and White Hart Lane (Tottenham Hotspur’s former home). This work included:
  • Incorporating Leitch's iconic lattice pattern into the Bramley-Moore brickwork and railings, a nod to the cross-braced panels seen at Goodison Park.
  • Including elements that reflect the architectural heritage of Goodison Park to ensure that the legacy of the historic ground is preserved, such as the historic dock gates.
  • Maintaining a connection to the traditional aesthetics that Leitch was known for while embracing modern design and facilities.
• Reimagining the concept of heritage — a large element of the project consisted of filling in part of the waterfront. After initial consultation, the development was turned to the water slightly to create a Plaza area. This abuts the River Mersey to maximise the river heritage behind the East Stand and the stepped terrace behind the West Stand, which will also both lend themselves to different outdoor year-round uses. While Liverpool may no longer be a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it arguably continues to develop assets of outstanding universal value for the future.  
• Creating atmosphere — a further carefully planned design element was to incorporate steep stands to capture the noise generated by crowds and give fans physical proximity to the pitch, akin to that enjoyed at Goodison Park. Additionally, the stadium incorporates a ‘safe standing’ area for home fans in the lower section of the south stand, with rail seating in place. The lower tier in the north-east corner will also include safe standing areas for visiting supporters, again paying homage to traditional stadia.

Regeneration with impact

With all this in mind, Bramley-Moore Dock embodies a socially impactful approach to sports-led regeneration — unlocking new opportunities for waterfront residential, commercial and leisure developments while positioning North Liverpool as an attractive investment hub connected to the thriving city centre. 

By integrating the stadium development into a wider regeneration strategy, the area will benefit from improved public spaces, cultural attractions and enhanced connectivity. The project also looks set to generate employment, attract businesses and boost tourism — creating a sustainable economic ecosystem that transcends well beyond matchdays.

Talk to us

With one of the largest real estate legal teams in the North of England, we act on significant, complex and high-profile development, regeneration and infrastructure transactions across England and Wales, including in the world of sport.

We’re delighted and proud to be acting as the sole advisors on property and development matters for significant waterfront schemes such as Liverpool Waters, Wirral Waters and Chatham Waters on behalf of Peel Waters — a key partner to Liverpool City Region in its regeneration framework.

For help with your project, talk to us by calling 0333 004 4488, emailing hello@brabners.com or completing our contact form below.