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Open Letter to Keith Wyness

Mr Wyness,

As a Shareholder and Season Ticket holder, an Evertonian, a son of an Evertonian and father of two more Evertonians, I know I, my family and many, many more like me will spend far more time and have a far deeper emotional commitment to any future home of the blues than you or a hundred directors, managers or players can ever conceive of.

If, after all options have been fully considered and investigated, the Kirkby project is the best available, I for one will wholeheartedly support it. With the information currently in the public domain, and considering the questions and lack of clarity in certain areas, I can't currently do that and must request that your make every effort to explore all the alternatives.

I am deeply disappointed with your public response, and general attitude, to the recent initiatives by Liverpool City Council, the Bestway Group Plc and dedicated Evertonians who have endeavoured to present additional options to the club in it's quest to find a new home. I find the general tone of your "Open Letter" published on the club website to be dismissive, negative, condescending and frankly arrogant.

As one of "those who regard this site as a possible location for a new home for Everton Football Club," I assume you will not mind my responding to some of the points you raise, and would be grateful if you could in turn respond to "some highly-pertinent questions" and "some general observations" regarding the proposed stadium in Kirkby.

"Why, if the site is, indeed, both deliverable and suitable, is it only now being touted as a viable possibility? We, as a Club, have been engaged in talks with Knowsley Borough Council and Tesco about the possibility of relocating to Kirkby for the best part of 18 months and yet only now has this site been put forward as a possible alternative.

During what was an exhaustive and lengthy search for a suitable and deliverable site within the Liverpool city boundaries not once was the Scotland Road "option" even mentioned."

I have no "inside-knowledge" nor have I had any direct contact with any member of Liverpool City Council or the Keep Everton In Our City group, or with any director or employee of Bestway Group Plc ? my knowledge of the situation arises solely from media reports and the internet. As I'm sure you're well aware, such sources are not always 100% reliable, but I would argue that you have access to exactly the same if not more reliable sources and that you also have a responsibility as Everton CEO to ensure you are as well-informed as possible on these matters ? especially before releasing such an "open letter". Anyway, for what it's worth, here is my understanding of the situation such as it is:

a) It is only in recent months that Bestway have acquired an alternative site to which they wish to move the current operation located at the Loop. Prior to this, the site could not have been considered to be available.

b) It is only in recent months that the KEIOC group have gained any publicity beyond the confines of the core Everton support.

c) None of the Directors or Senior Management at Bestway are dedicated Evertonians and therefore may not have known of the club's desire to find a new home or, if they did know, may have either not considered their site in that knowledge, or more likely, felt that those in charge of Everton Football Club should take the lead in attempting to identify potential sites.

d) At the same time, Everton FC entered into an "Exclusivity Agreement" with Knowsley Borough Council and Tesco regarding the Kirkby site.

Now put yourself in the shoes of the directors and management of Bestway. Assume you had thought to connect your newly available plot of land with Everton's search for a new home (not a given by the way) and had taken the time to acquaint yourself with the publicly available statements made by the club regarding the Exclusivity Agreement. I think you would agree it is not unreasonable that, until it became clear through the actions and public statements of KEIOC and the leader of Liverpool City Council that other options may be considered, there would (on the surface) be little point in your making either an approach to the club or a public declaration of interest.

"Up until two weeks ago, the City Council was enthusiastically claiming that it had sites in both Speke and Aintree which they believed to be deliverable and which they wished us to seriously consider. Since the announcement of the Scotland Road site there has been no mention of either ? why is this?"

I don't know, but given that the focus of many Evertonians is not to move from our current home, and many more wish to stay as close as possible if we do leave, isn't it possible that once the Loop site (as far as I am aware the closest proposed location for a new home) became an option, all available resources have been focused there? With the fans ballot regarding the Kirkby project very close, indeed now underway, can you understand the parties involved not wishing to spread their efforts in an attempt to gather all the necessary detail for solid proposals on three or four different sites? Would it suit you if they did so and in so trying, failed to produce plans of any substance for any single one?

In order to provide the retail element which is essential to make any new stadium project deliverable, further land adjoining the current site would be required. Is this land available, who currently owns it and what would the purchase cost be?

Firstly, even I am aware from my limited sources that the proposed "enabling developments" at the Loop site are business and residential rather than retail, surely you have heard this as well.

Secondly, it is only you who seems to keep saying a certain area (I believe 500,000 sq ft is the figure you use) of retail space must be included in any stadium scheme. To my knowledge ? and I have read or listened to just about everything publicly available on these matters over the last few years ? you have yet to give any detail or provide any study which supports this figure. If such studies are available, why not publish them? Have you considered what area of business and/or residential space would provide an equivalent enabling development? Again, if so, where are the studies?

Thirdly, and again this is from my limited sources, I'm aware that Bestway own other parcels of land adjacent to the Loop island and that in addition, there are some green areas and derelict areas adjacent to or close by. As it is your full time job to consider and investigate issues of concern to Everton Football Club, I assume that your sources are at least as good as mine, perhaps you can confirm the above information? If not, why are you asking the question in such a negative way?

"Would any compulsory purchase orders be required in order that we could attain the size of site we require? If CPOs are required, is it not the case that they could take up to 12 months to attain?"

Given that the plans are not complete yet, I don't see that anyone could possibly answer this question at this stage; however, related planning/legal issues could yet beset the Kirkby project (of which more later) and yet I can find no mention of them from you in any statements made concerning that plan. Again, I fail to see why you seem to be looking for as many negatives as possible in this proposal when it may (and I stress "may") yet provide a better option for the club? Surely your job is to find solutions ? anticipate potential issues by all means, but evaluate them evenly and fairly.

"Liverpool City Council would be required to demonstrate what is know as "best consideration" in any land transactions ? they would have to show that any deal was in the best interests of the people of the city. This, we are told, can prove to be a very lengthy process. Is that correct and is there cross-party support for the Scotland Road site within Liverpool City Council?"

Given that both the local ward councillor and the leader of the City Council are backing the Loop site, both of whom have a democratic responsibility to their constituents, I would argue that they must feel the proposal is in the "best interests of the people of the city". Surely you should be helping them to persuade any members of the council who are not in currently favour rather than trying to find some put obstacles in the way. It's called "lobbying". If you're not already familiar with this presumably you didn't attempt it with Knowsley Borough Council concerning Kirkby? Perhaps if you had, you could have got a better deal from them and groups like KEIOC would not have as many brickbats to throw at you?

"Is the site actually suitable? Would a 50,000-seater stadium fit on the available land whilst guaranteeing the required circulation space for supporters and vehicles?"

The current footprint of Goodison Park, which has been demonstrated to be able to support a 50,000- or 60,000-seater stadium at least 3 times in recent years, fits comfortably within the site. You must have seen this demonstrated a number of times, as I have, by contributors to various Everton Fan sites on the internet. If so, you know the answer to this question and frankly it smacks of scaremongering to influence a "Yes" vote in the Kirkby ballot. If not, take five minutes to surf the internet instead of once more looking for a negative when your job is to find solutions for your employer.

"We do not believe that the existing transport infrastructure in the Scotland Road area would be able to cope with the volume of traffic generated on matchdays. It does seem inevitable that several bridges would have to be constructed. What would be the cost of upgrading the infrastructure and who will foot the bill?"

Given the lack of clarity evinced so far in the Kirkby project statements, I'd say it's a little rich to be questioning where funding for particular aspects of any rival proposal are coming from, but that is a minor issue. My own belief is that the traffic & transport infrastructure is far superior to that available now, or potentially available at reasonable cost in the future, at Kirkby. This is not just a guess, along with many other Evertonians, I have attended away matches at the likes of Bolton and Reading. These clubs have grounds with similar infrastructure links to the proposed Kirkby site and it can take up to 2 hours to get away from them by car after the game.

The Loop site is very close to Liverpool city centre and as such is at the heart of the transport infrastructure for the entire Merseyside area. Roads, rail lines and bus routes radiate from this locality. I would ask how many people travel to work in the centre of Liverpool on any given weekday? This must far exceed 50,000, perfectly demonstrating the ability of the infrastructure to support this number.

"Would the construction of a development which would also include a large retail element not dramatically undermine ? and anger ? those behind the Grosvenor and Project Jennifer schemes? Is there not a very real possibility of a legal challenge from these other developers?"

As stated earlier, I am well aware (and so should you be) that the proposal is for enabling developments of residential and commercial property. How can you repeat that a "large retail development" would be required when this it is common knowledge that it would not?

"What is the proposed timeline for any development on this site? We believe it would take between six and nine months to complete a comprehensive feasibility study, a further six to nine months to prepare a planning application and then an additional four to six months to receive a formal planning decision. In addition, if the scheme was to be "called in" by central government, the entire project could be subjected to a delay of anything up to a year."

Isn't it far more likely that the Kirkby project will be "called in" by central government? The Kirkby scheme would demolish existing public sports facilities and green areas ? particularly that area of the development where the proposed stadium would be located. The planning guidelines state that where such facilities are being removed, they must be replaced with alternative facilities.

What is the current state of planning application for Kirkby? If detailed plans have already been submitted, why have we as Evertonians who are being asked to vote on the move only been shown computer generated artists impressions of what the stadium may look like? And that at night I might add and with the surrounding development mysteriously invisible.

Having resided at Goodison park for 115 years, I would expect any new stadium to last at least 75 years. This decision can only be made once in that time, surely for the long term benefit of the club as a business and as part of the fabric of a community, it is critical that the right choice be made. We can afford to wait and get this right. We cannot afford to get it wrong.

"Without wishing, in any way, to call into question the integrity and professionalism of those who have pulled the Scotland Road "rabbit" out of a hitherto cunningly-concealed hat, we do find it curious that it is being portrayed as a genuine, realistic and deliverable scheme at the precise moment our supporters are being invited to participate in a ballot about our proposed relocation to Kirkby."

If you don't wish to call anyone's integrity or professionalism into question, that's very strange language to use. However, I'm sure some of my statements above are none-too diplomatic, so let's put that to one side for the moment. Incidentally if anything I've said has caused offense, I apologise ? I'm sure you understand the passions which are raised by these issues.

I find it incredibly curious that in this immensely important debate regarding the future of Everton Football Club, you as Chief Executive Officer are seemingly unwilling to consider a "Plan B" or even a "Plan C". I would go as far as to say it is slightly suspicious that you are being so aggressively negative to the alternative options being put forward.

You repeatedly raise associated retail developments at the Loop site as an obstacle when you must, or at least should, know that none are being proposed. You seem to be searching for the slightest potential problem with the Loop while ignoring, or at least not fully informing Evertonians about, similar potential issues with Kirkby. Although ostensibly asking for further information about the Loop proposal, from the tone of your letter you are clearly attempting to knock holes in it and therefore influence the Kirkby ballot in the "Yes" direction.

In closing I'd like to repeat what I said at the start of this letter:

As a Shareholder and Season Ticket holder, an Evertonian, a son of an Evertonian and father of 2 more Evertonians, I know I, my family and many, many more like me will spend far more time and have a far deeper emotional commitment to any future home of the blues than you or a hundred directors, managers or players can ever conceive of. If after all options have been fully considered and investigated, the Kirkby project is the best available, I for one will wholeheartedly support it. With the information currently in the public domain, and considering the questions and lack of clarity in certain areas, I can't currently do that and must request that your make every effort to explore all the alternatives.

Yours,
James Asquith

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