Bigger, bolder and bunkers: Liverpool's new stadium is given a Texan makeover

It is unique in the canon of recent British stadiums, carries a £300m price tag, houses a minimum 60,000 supporters, has presidential-style underground bunkers plus changing rooms for Sunday league footballers, and represents the vision Tom Hicks and George Gillett have invested in Liverpool. This is Anfield, circa 2010.

The stadium move that has been discussed by Liverpool for decades, that has attracted countless controversies, as well as the American sports tycoons to David Moores' shareholding in the club, took a significant step towards resolution yesterday when the club submitted plans to Liverpool City Council for a venue designed to regenerate the surrounding area and bridge the revenue advantage presently enjoyed by Manchester United.

As Hicks and Gillett unveiled their ambitious designs for a stadium with a potential capacity of 76,000, and in the wake of the club record transfer of Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid for £27m this month, the accusations of inertia directed against the Liverpool co-chairmen earlier this summer were made to sound distinctly hollow.

New Anfield - at least until the naming rights issue that will part-fund the project has been concluded - could be under construction within weeks, depending on planning permission, which had been granted for a previous 60,000-seater stadium on the same site, less than 200 yards from Liverpool's existing home.

Hicks and Gillett abandoned the original concept the day they acquired majority control in February - in true Texan-style, Hicks decided the plans were neither big nor bold enough for Liverpool on his private plane journey home - and referred the scheme to Dallas-based architects HKS.

The Liverpool chief executive, Rick Parry, said: "When they took over, the first thing Tom and George wanted to do was review the stadium both in terms of the design and the capacity. This is the immensely impressive result of their deliberations.

"We're creating a stadium that not only the club and supporters can be proud of, but something the whole city can be proud of," he added. "Liverpool as a city is on the move and deserves world-class developments like this."

Gone is the bowl-shaped stadium from the initial £215m project, which had been due to start in March yet contained no room for future expansion, in favour of an asymmetrical, futuristic design that will incorporate an 18,000-seater Kop. Corporate facilities will include underground bunker suites, while facilities for the local community, such as tennis courts and changing rooms for the football pitches on Stanley Park, are also provided.

"I went out to meet the architects in Dallas and I emphasised how important the Kop was," Parry said, "and so that was really the whole starting point for the stadium. Then when George and Tom came to see the game against Barcelona [in the Champions League in March] they understood. They got the message instantly and very graphically and understood what we were talking about. They deserve full marks for the way in which they've been able to embrace that.

"It will have a significantly increased capacity of 18,000 seats in a single-tier structure that will be the heartbeat of the new stadium. The rake of the stand will be steeper and the seats tighter together, with the acoustics of the roof designed to accentuate the atmosphere during games."

Liverpool have resubmitted a 60,000-seater application in the hope of speeding up the construction process, but are intent on having a 76,000-capacity stadium by 2010. Those ambitions, however, rest on improving the transport network around Anfield and convincing the local authorities the area can cope with an extra 30,000 people on a match day.

Parry explained: "Having thoroughly addressed the environmental and transportation issues, we already have consent for a 60,000-seat stadium, which is why we have submitted the new design with that capacity. But we make no secret of the fact that we want a greater capacity and will consider putting in a second planning application when appropriate. However, we fully recognise, for this to happen, that all the associated transport requirements need to be in place.

"To increase the capacity above 60,000, we need a further step change in our approach which is why we, together with Liverpool City Council and Merseytravel, are investigating the possibility of reopening the Bootle branch railway line for passenger use."

The existing Anfield stadium will be demolished when the new venue opens in 2010, albeit with the pitch area retained as a green walkway onto Stanley Park. Liverpool are yet to confirm how the Hillsborough Memorial, the Bill Shankly Statue and the Shankly and Paisley Gates will be incorporated in the project.

Ground force: How the 'new Anfield' compares with the major European stadiums built in the last 10 years

Liverpool Stadium

Capacity: 60,000. Ability to increase to 76,000.

Cost: Part of a £300m investment.

Time taken: Due to open in 2010.

Unique features: Single-tier stand of 18,000, aimed at replicating the Kop.

Emirates Stadium (Arsenal)

Capacity: 60,432

Cost: £357m

Time taken: Two years four months.

Unique features: Construction completed ahead of schedule. Largest pitch in the Premiership.

Wembley Stadium (London)

Capacity: 90,000

Cost: £798m

Time taken: Four years.

Unique features: Most expensive stadium ever built. Boasts the largest roof-covered seating capacity in the world. Has a sliding roof and a 140-metre arch. The arch is the world's largest unsupported roof structure. Contains the most toilets (2,618) of any single venue in the world.

City Of Manchester Stadium (Manchester City)

Capacity: 47,726

Cost: £110m

Time taken: Two years three months.

Unique features: Originally built for 2002 Commonwealth Games. Will host the 2008 Uefa Cup final. Has the widest pitch in English football.

Millennium Stadium (Cardiff)

Capacity: 74,500

Cost: £126m

Time taken: Two years.

Unique features: Was the largest stadium in the UK at time of construction. Has a retractable roof. Hosted the FA and League Cup finals while Wembley was redeveloped. Has a resident hawk, Dad, on patrol.

Allianz Arena (Bayern and 1860 Munich)

Capacity: 66,000

Cost: £190m

Time taken: Two years six months.

Unique features: Known as the "inflatable boat" due to its distinctive shape. The outside of the stadium is lit up red when Bayern play at home, blue when 1860 Munich play and white when the German national team visit.

Stade de France (Paris)

Capacity: 80,000

Cost: £260m

Time taken: Three years

Unique features: Hosted the 1998 World Cup final and will host this autumn's Rugby World Cup final. Has a movable stand.