Everton football club’s plan to build a new stadium outside the city could put the mothballed Merseytram scheme back on track. The club wants its new stadium to be part of a massive retail and entertainment complex at Kirkby, the original destination for the ill-fated Merseytram, which was turned down in 2005 by the-then transport secretary, Alastair Darling, after costs had dramatically risen. The passenger transport authority, Merseytravel, believes the business case for the projected tram system has received an enormous boost with the proposed development in Kirkby of a 50,000-seater stadium, and deserves to be reconsidered. With Liverpool city centre earmarked for a new concert arena, and a £1bn retail development, it has argued a tram system is the most efficient way to move people in and out. It says if Everton move to Kirby, this will only add to the transport problem. Merseytravel was reluctant to discuss the new developments, but director general and chief executive, Neil Scales, issued a short statement which said the arena and Grosvenor projects would mean the only way to get across the heart of the city would be through a fixed link, such as a tram. The system would form part of a transport plan to accommodate the thousands using the proposed new Everton stadium, including a new bus interchange and a new Merseyrail station near the new stadium. The proposed move by Everton has been warmly welcomed by Knowsley council, which wants to see the new stadium built in its borough, but Liverpool City Council is still trying to find a suitable site within its own boundaries to keep the club in the city. Everton have left the final decision on a move to their fans and is at present holding a postal ballot of supporters.