The Old Trafford task force is to deliver its recommendation for the future of Manchester United’s stadium by the end of December.
The task force, which is due to meet again on Thursday, was assembled earlier this year to explore options for Old Trafford’s future, including either redeveloping the existing structure or building a new stadium entirely.
In an internal document seen by The Athletic, a deadline of December 31 has been set to deliver a report outlining the task force’s final recommendations for the project. United will then decide how to proceed.
Architectural firm Foster and Partners are set to be appointed as lead masterplanners of the stadium district project — covering the club-owned land that surrounds the existing Old Trafford, but not the design of the stadium itself.
The firm, which was also appointed to lead the £50million ($66.1m) redevelopment of United’s Carrington training ground earlier this year, is to be tasked with developing the areas around the stadium for the benefit of fans and the local community.
A separate process for the design of the new or redeveloped stadium will begin once the task force has made its final recommendation and the club has chosen their preferred course of action.
Representatives from the club, the task force, Trafford Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) are also set to attend the Labour Party conference in Liverpool next week and the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham later this month.
Despite speculation that minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe would seek public money to partially fund the stadium project, the presentations at the party conferences will be predominantly focused on the redevelopment of the surrounding area and the wider regeneration of Trafford Wharfside.
United are realistic that the stadium project is unlikely to benefit from public funding, but are exploring whether a public-private partnership could help fund transport and infrastructure redevelopments around the site that would be necessary to maximise the stadium’s potential.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, who sits on the task force, said in May that even a public-private partnership would require “the club to fund the stadium and associated Manchester United facilities”.
The task force may also have representation at the International Investment Summit in London on October 14 — an invitation-only event that will bring together around 300 business leaders from across the world. That event has been organised by the UK government, following a pledge by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to attract investment to Britain and kick-start economic growth. Burnham, in his capacity as the mayor of Greater Manchester, is expected to attend.
United last week entered a strategic partnership with Trafford Council and GMCA to align plans for the stadium and its surrounding area with the wider regeneration of Trafford Wharfside.
An independent director and advisory team will be appointed to coordinate the Old Trafford project with Trafford Council’s masterplanning of the Trafford Wharfside development and GMCA’s growth strategy.
(Top photo: Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
