WEST HAM’S bid to take over the Olympic Stadium has been boosted by support from more than 50 MPs and a new poll of Londoners – but the partners of Tottenham’s rival bid claim their plan would sell out the venue every week.
A BBC poll showed 81% of Londoners are opposed to Tottenham’s plan to demolish the stadium after the 2012 Games and build a new 60,000-seater ground without the running track.
West Ham’s vice-chairman Karren Brady, speaking at a House of Commons reception where the support from the MPs was revealed, said their proposal to retain the running track inside the existing structure would avoid the waste of £500million of public money.
Brady said the West Ham plan would mean London had kept their promise to the Olympic movement.
She said: “It would be a truly multi-purpose, multi-event stadium that would stand as a true home for sport in this country. On July6 2005, a promise was made in the Queen’s name. We believe in that promise and we believe in legacy.
“It’s important for the UK’s credibility as a sporting nation – especially in the wake of the 2018 FIFA World Cup disappointment – to keep that promise. Pulling down the stadium would waste half-a-billion pounds in taxpayers’ money.”
Both clubs have been asked to provide more information to the Olympic Park Legacy Company by February 3, although they have yet to fix a date for the board meeting to decide which bid should be recommended to the Government and the London Mayor’s office.
Tottenham and their partners AEG, the American entertainment giant that turned around the O2 arena, claim the Hammers’ bid is not economically viable.
