Manchester United has acquired the majority of the extra land it needs to build a new £2billion, 100,000-seater stadium to replace Old Trafford, often described as the "Wembley of the North."
United has struck a deal for a 25-acre triangle of land located 350 metres from Old Trafford, and does not anticipate any problems securing the remainder it needs.
The move allows United to bypass deadlocked negotiations with Freightliner over buying the freight rail terminal behind the Stretford End. The two sides appeared close to a compromise in March, having initially been £360million apart in valuation, before United switched its focus to a nearby plot between Wharfside Way, Europa Way and John Gilbert Way. That area currently hosts a trading estate that includes the TeamSport Go Karting centre and car and van specialists.
Sources say the club worked in a disciplined and strategic way that allowed it to complete the new deal efficiently and at market value, and that it believes the site will work best for the new stadium and the wider regeneration of the Old Trafford area.
Building next to Old Trafford
Acquiring the land was crucial to the project because it will allow United to build next door to Old Trafford and continue playing in its 116-year-old home until the new stadium is complete, hopefully in time to host the 2035 Women's World Cup final.
United will now move on to the design phase with supporters this summer and hopes to submit a planning application in the near future.
Collette Roche, chief executive of United's new stadium development, said: "Today's news highlights the progress we're making towards a world-class new home for Manchester United and represents a significant milestone as we move into the next phase of development."
"Being able to build so close to Old Trafford allows us to preserve the heritage, traditions and rituals that are so important to our fans. We are committed to building a world-class stadium with our supporters, not just for them, with atmosphere, affordability and accessibility at the heart of our thinking."
Roche added: "This is a generational opportunity that is fully aligned with both local and national growth ambitions. Securing the right land for our new home has been absolutely critical, and the land we've acquired gives us the stage to deliver a truly world-class stadium that honours our past and is ready for our future."
Andy Burnham's departure
The news emerged as Andy Burnham arrived in London to challenge for the Labour Party leadership after leaving his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Burnham has been a champion for the new stadium and the wider regeneration project, which is set to create 15,000 new homes and 48,000 jobs and inject more than £7billion into the UK economy.
United sources said over the weekend that the club is relaxed about the implications of his departure and confident it will not derail its plans in any way.
Burnham's successor will be chosen in an election at the end of July, and the mayoral development corporation he set up to drive the project will publish a masterplan for the wider Old Trafford regeneration on July 9, along with details of a formal consultation period.
Sebastian Coe on the timeline
Earlier this year, Lord Sebastian Coe said the timeline to build the new stadium was "slightly uncertain" and proving to be complicated, with land acquisition key.
Speaking on the Sports Agents podcast, Coe said: "I love regeneration projects and I was really pleased to be asked to get involved in that. I do actually believe in good, locally-funded projects to make lives easier for local people. And I also saw from the London model that if you build it around sport, the multiplier impact of getting other stuff done is far quicker than it would have been."
"Land acquisition is always complicated. I know that from London, so, at this moment, it's just putting the stuff together sequentially and incrementally and using a world-class stadium to be a catalyst for so many other things, including inward investment."
On the timescale, Coe added: "Well, again, it's slightly uncertain at the moment. The stadium is being scoped and being properly scaled. But again, that is also dependent on the purchasing and the acquisition of various other parcels of land in that space. That's all taking place at the moment and I won't maintain a running commentary on that, but we're moving in the right direction."
