Rachel Reeves, the UK Chancellor, has given her support to Old Trafford redevelopment plans during a speech in Oxfordshire on Wednesday morning, as part of the government’s wider plans for economic growth.
Manchester United have long been weighing up their options for the redevelopment of the stadium, though no final decision has been reached as yet.
Reeves previously referred to the plans as a “shining example” of the government’s economic growth strategy, but went one step further on Wednesday as she confirmed: “We are supporting key investment opportunities across the UK. The government is also backing Andy Burnham’s plans for the redevelopment of Old Trafford which promises to create new housing and commercial development around a new stadium, to drive regeneration and growth in the area.”
Embed from Getty ImagesMr Burnham, who has served as the Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday that “on the east of Manchester, if you look at what’s happened there – and the Commonwealth Games helped that with public money at the time – Manchester City have taken that and poured so much investment in themselves to improve the east of Manchester.”
“Imagine that being balanced on the west of Manchester with another major football campus,” he continued, suggesting that “this, without a shadow of a doubt, will be the global capital of football in the rest of the 21st century.”
Plans to develop the stadium and surrounding areas were backed by Trafford Council earlier this week, with options set to include a remodelling that would expand the current stadium to 87,000 seats, or the construction of a new stadium altogether. It is expected that Manchester United will reach their final decision by the summer.
Construction of a new stadium could cost upwards of £2bn and may not be completed until the early 2030s, but it is believed to be the favoured option amongst the club’s hierarchy and project task force.