RESIDENTS living in the shadow of Old Trafford fear the club’s plan to build a brand new £2billion stadium just yards away will “rip the soul” out of Manchester United.
United chiefs recently made the decision to build a new, state of the art stadium rather than redevelop the iconic stadium they have called home since 1910.
The club has yet to make a final decision but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to bulldoze their home of 114 years and create a new state-of-the art stadium on nearby land.
The £2bn project could be completed by 2030 and it would replace Wembley as the biggest stadium in the country.
If approved, the stadium would become the second largest in Europe behind Barcelona’s revamped 105,000-seater Nou Camp.
However, the club does not intend to demolishing Old Trafford completely but instead scaling it down to a 30,000-seater venue.
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Die-hard fans fear moving from the Theatre of Dreams, which has capacity of 74,000, could “rip the soul” out of the club.
Others have expressed concerns it will add to existing problem such as rubbish, parking and fans using alleyways as toilets.
Many had already called on United chiefs to redevelop it due to its “sense of history”.
But they do not want to move permanently and are still against he downscaling of the stadium, even if it is to not be demolished completely.
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United fan Stephanie Ross, 41, said: “I don’t feel it would be same atmosphere if we moved to a new stadium.
“I’m worried about how much money it would cost and think it would rip the soul out of the club.
“I would rather they stayed and fixed Old Trafford.”
Richard Walsh, 35, said: “If it happens, it happens. But leaving Old Trafford would mean losing the stadium’s sense of history.
“And I’m also concerned what will happen to ticket prices if we go to a new stadium.”
One resident, who didn’t wish to give her name, said she feared a new stadium would cause more issues for residents.
She said: “It’s just the mess that’s caused on match days. There’s a lot of littering and problems with people parking illegally.
“People say to me, ‘Well you shouldn’t live next door to a football stadium.’
“But you can’t excuse fans using the alleyways as a toilet.”
Another resident said she objected to paying £51.50 a year for a parking permit outside to park outside her own home when fans regularly turned up and parked on the road anyway.
“You never see the traffic wardens on match days,” she added.
“And if I want someone to come and see me I have to pay for a visitor’s parking permit which is another £51.50.”
“I don’t think it will make much difference.”
However, other locals believe that proposed plans to build a 100,000 seater stadium will be a “big boost” for the area.
Derek White, 66, said: “I think it’s a great idea to build a new stadium, it will bring more business into the area, which is a good thing.
“Some of the takeaways and pubs around here only get really busy on match days.”
Resident and United fan Tanya Jackson, 53, said: “They are trying to build the area up around here so a new stadium would be a big boost.
“It’ll be great for the area because they’ll build new hotels and things like that.”
However, she was unsure about the changes that could potentially be facing Old Trafford.
Tanya added: “But I don’t know about knocking down Old Trafford – there’s too much history in there.”
Susah Tighe, 64, has lived on one of the roads near Old Trafford for 40 years, said she has got used to thousands of fans on match days, although it’s sometimes a case of “batten down the hatches”.
She said: “There’s never been any trouble and there’s a good atmosphere.
“So I’m not really bothered by the though of another 25,000 plus fans.
What we know about the ‘new’ Old Trafford
MANCHESTER UNITED plan to build a new stadium rather than redevelop Old Trafford.
The decision was made after a number of fact-finding missions to other stadiums including the Bernabeu and Nou Camp.
The cost of the project is expected to be a staggering £2billion.
A capacity of 100,000 is expected.
It is felt that a club of United’s standing should have a new state-of-the-art facility.
The new stadium will be built on land adjacent to the Red Devils’ current home.
United are looking to not only build a stadium but regenerate the area of Trafford where the ground will stand.
They plan to KEEP Old Trafford rather than demolish it, and use it as a second venue.
They will scale it down to a 30,000-seater that can then be used for the women’s team and academy matches.
That would mean the history remains with statues and the Munich clock and memorial plaque all most likely staying in their current positions.
The club consulted with 30,000 fans about what to do and believe there is roughly a 50-50 split on staying or moving.
Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910.
The target is for completion by 2030.
She added: “I think they also need to think about the transport links – 100,000 is a lot of people.”
But a United steward, who didn’t want to be named, likened trying to redevelop Old Trafford to “putting plaster on rotting walls” because it’s so outdated and in disrepair.
“Everyone knows about the leaking roof, but there are a lot of other problems,” he said.
“The only answer is a new stadium. We’ve seen what Manchester City have done and we’re a far bigger club than they are.
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“We have the space to build a new stadium so the club needs to follow Ratcliffe’s vision.”
The Sun have contacted Manchester United for comment.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
