It is the most successful football club in Great Britain and is worth more than 5 billion, but taxpayers' cash will be used to start the reurbing of the Manchester United stadium, it emerged on Tuesday night.
Millions of pounds of public money will help 'enable' the reconstruction of £ 2 billion of Old Trafford, announced Tuesday by the co -owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The office of the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, defended the use of public funds saying that the plans would unlock a broader scheme that would be the “largest urban regeneration from the 2012 London Olympic Games.”
But the use of 'effective' taxpayers simply to justify the desire of a football club to improve its land ', was questioned by former conservative leader Sir Iin Duncan Smith.
In January, before United, English league champions for a record 20 times, had outlined precise details of its redevelopment, Foreign Minister Rachel Reeves defended the Old Trafford project as a “brilliant example” of government plans for economic growth.
But she refused to say how much public money would be involved.
Manchester United presented ambitions plans to build a new Stadium of £ 2 billion on Tuesday
Sir Jim Ratcliffe shared the club's desire to develop a latest generation land
The seismic project has been Ratcliffe's priority since it took its minority part in the club
Ratcliffe, who said he wanted to create the designs for the new planned land of 100,000 squares, of the architect Lord Foster, who said he wanted to create the world's 'largest' stadium.
The building itself will be funded by private cash.
The groups of followers expressed concern about the proposed stadium, which was ridiculed on social networks and compared with a 'circus tent' or a holiday camp 'Butlin'.
The 1958, who organized a demonstration on the weekend where thousands of fans went to a league match against Arsenal dressed in black, in protest of the property of the Glazer and Ratcliffe family, described the new design as a “generic and soulless corporate structure, more similar to a modern entertainment place than a football cathedral.”
The £ 2 billion project, which will have been produced after five years after United announced 200 job losses and free meals for staff were eliminated. He also planned to reduce his financing for his Association of Supporters for disabled, an idea later reversed.
But now it has arisen that the great scheme will be built in the Great Trafford Park Rail load terminal next to the existing field of Old Trafford.
The train deposit will have to be uprooted at St Helens, 20 miles away, financed with public money.
In addition to buying the land, United will not contribute to the cost of moving the load terminal, which could reach hundreds of millions of pounds.
However, millions of pounds of public money 'will enable' the project of £ 2 billion, with a trains deposit with Old Trafford that will uproot St Helens, with the invoice that the taxpayer
The use of taxpayers was questioned by former leader Tory Sir Iain Duncan Smith
But the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has defended this and has talked about the exciting project that is potentially the greatest urban regeneration since the London Olympic Games 2012
Burnham for a long time has wanted to move the railway deposit because the medium mile training to and from the site obstruct passenger routes in the city.
But Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Tory leader, said: 'Gasting public money is a decision that will have to justify the electorate.
“What is absolutely out of discussion is to do it before what they could have thought, simply to justify the desire of a football club to improve its land.”
And Nathan Evans, leader of the conservative group in the Tofford Council, said: “If the taxpayer pays the deposit movement, there should be a more widely a benefit for the public, as through the delivery of United on the land in its existing place.”
Greater Manchester officials point out that public money, which will also be spent on the broader reurbanization of the land around Old Trafford for 17,000 homes, retailers and leisure, will lead to a great benefit for the region and create 48,000 jobs.
The 58 fans group said that the new stadium was financed by even more debt in addition to £ 1 billion already due.
His spokesman said: 'It seems surprising that on Monday they told us to the club where they had no money not to have money to build a new stadium.
'There have not yet any information shared with the club on how this new project will be financed. More debt?
The architect Lord Norman Foster states that the stadium will approach fans “closer than ever.
However, fans, including 1958, have expressed concern about the plans
A Manchester United spokesman said that five years referred to the time he has been in the time for the redeegeted, not to be completed in five years.
The spokesman also said that the remodeling of the stadium would be “part of a broader scheme” that would have “great benefits”, and that moving the railway deposit and the congestion that causes “would have benefits for passengers in the north of England.”
He added that the funds of £ 2 billion for the new stadium would be obtained in the open market 'and was not yet in its place.
The combined authority of the Great Manchester said that Old Trafford's regeneration could benefit the local economy by £ 7.3 billion.
A spokesman said: 'Old Trafford's regeneration scheme represents the largest regeneration scheme led by sports from the 2012 London Olympic Games.
'As was the case in London, public sector financing can help unlock sites and deliver infrastructure, allowing a massive investment in the private sector.
'Transforming the area around Old Trafford will not only benefit the great Manchester. The potential relocation of the load away from the site could help lead a new life to underutilized industrial lands and relieve congestion in our rail network.