Plans for Liverpool Football Club’s new 60,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park have finally got the go-ahead following five-years in the planning. The £350m development, which includes other sports facilities, is expected to open in time for the 2011-2012 season.

Lang O’Rourke has been appointed as the development’s engineers and has already begun to prepare the site for construction, which is due to begin this September.

The stadium is designed by US architects RyderHKS and features a separate, stand-alone, tier for 18,000 fans. It will also incorporate tennis courts, a multi-use games area, a club shop and museum, conference and banqueting facilities.

The revised, approved, plans reduced the size of the stadium by 25 per cent in order to provide 36-hectares (89-acres) of open space around the building.

Outline planning permission has been secured to redevelop Liverpool FC’s existing Anfield stadium in to a plaza with a car park, sport centre and hotel.