Future of Olympic Stadium

olympicstadiumf.jpg
 
Surely if they keep the running track then the seats behind the goals are going to be miles away. That patch of sand in the middle doesn't even look football pitch sized. :confused:
 
If the OPLC had any foresight, they would have had retractable seating over the track. But of course, they were adamant in the planning stages that they had no intention of having a football club move into it.
 
Considering that it's being reported that the general feeling among Spurs fans is that they don't want the move, a lot of their fans on here seem incredibly bitter about missing out on the Olympic stadium.
mmj_uk said:
I hope Spurs manage to get it in writing that they won't remove the running track, otherwise I can see it being ripped out as soon as the Olympics has died down.
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It's got nothing to do with Spurs any more. There's been a lot of comments regarding Brady etc talking too much but from what I've seen, there's been far more mud slung from Spurs's side over all this.
 
skippi90 said:
If the OPLC had any foresight, they would have had retractable seating over the track. But of course, they were adamant in the planning stages that they had no intention of having a football club move into it.
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Nice bit of planning that, seeing as Premiership football is about the only thing that can fill a stadium of that capacity on a regular basis.
 
skippi90 said:
If the OPLC had any foresight, they would have had retractable seating over the track. But of course, they were adamant in the planning stages that they had no intention of having a football club move into it.
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That's not true. Not of the clubs wanted it initially and West Ham only made a firm inquiry after the design had been tendered.
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12637508


Taxpayers in London's poorest borough would be liable for a £40m loan to help West Ham United move into the Olympic Stadium if the venture collapsed, its chief executive has said.

In January Newham Council used its credit rating to arrange a Treasury loan on more favourable terms than the football club could have secured.
That financed West Ham's bid, which defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the race to inhabit the stadium after the 2012 Games.

At the time the loan was agreed, the council refused to say whether taxpayers would be responsible for the debt if West Ham - currently threatened by relegation from the Premier League - were unable to repay it.

It said this was because of "commercial sensitivity".
Councillors due to vote on the plan were not told either, with 10 large background papers thought to detail the liability withheld until minutes before the vote.

One councillor spoke out anonymously, saying the public should be told, while a district auditor said "alarm bells" should ring.
It was eventually passed unanimously by the council, where all 60 sitting councillors are Labour.

West Ham United and Newham Council have set up a company to own the stadium
Newham Council has arranged a £40m loan to fund it
West Ham United's gate receipts will help the stadium company pay off the loan
The stadium company will also be funded by athletics events and concerts at the venue
If the funds from West Ham United and other events dry up, Newham Council must repay the £40m

Chief executive Kim Bromley-Derry, in an interview with the BBC, has admitted for the first time that taxpayers would be liable for the loan.
Asked if the council would have to repay the money if West Ham folded, he said: "On a theoretical perspective that's true. But we have worked out the worst case scenario and we are confident that's not going to happen.
"We have been working with KPMG on the business case. We are confident there is no risk to the local council taxpayer."

Mr Bromley-Derry said the authority considered the possibility of the club suffering a double relegation.

Anita Shields, an auditor who works with other local authorities to ensure financial transparency, said: "Obviously the risk to the taxpayer should have been mentioned at the start.

"It is the taxpayers who could be footing the bill.
"Probably they were hoping nobody was going to raise these questions."
She added: "Why did they not come forward about it at the start? It's big money - the risk is there."

Newham Council has finalised £100m of cuts over three years, the highest figure in London. Some 1,600 staff could be made redundant.
The council has previously said the loan did not affect front line services.
Mr Bromley-Derry conceded a loan could have protected jobs and meant the need for less severe cuts.

He said: "We could borrow money to do other things, there's no doubt .
"If we borrowed money to bail out the revenue budget it would be a one-off and there would be a cost to it."

WHFC jobs 'issue' The council said it was currently unable to say how long the loan would take to pay back.

Mr Bromley-Derry also admitted it was "an issue" that council officers instrumental in financing West Ham's stadium bid could later move into well paid jobs with the club.

Newham is one of the poorest areas in the UK
He said: "We are aware that may be an issue. If it happens to ex-employees, well that's fine, there's not a lot I can do about that.
"In terms of current employees it's not something I would expect to see."
He added it was likely Newham Council staff would get paid roles at the company they established to own the stadium.

Mike Law, a former Newham Labour councillor, said: "If Newham staff later wind up on nice salaries at West Ham serious questions will need to be asked.

"The stadium producing a profit after the loan has been repaid in 10 to 20 years time is cold comfort to the council employee who is laid off today.
"Yet again, it's the people of one of the country's most deprived boroughs paying for the extravagances of others."

West Ham United were unavailable for comment.
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skippi90 said:
BBC
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It was on the local news yesterday and today no one cares. No big deal there was always going to be a risk of taxpayers coughing up in the future.

So RSS feed what do you think or are you just a twisted and bitter Spurs fan?
 
this is going to be a disaster on a smaller scale of the millenium dome. i wouldn't be surprised if west ham end up having to hand it over or being in the red for the rest of the clubs existance.
 
As a resident of Newham, this doesn't surprise me. Considering it's the poorest borough in London, they do sure waste a lot of money.
 
skippi90 said:
T'is pretty common place round this neck of the woods to post articles that may be of interest to others without explaining why as per GD.
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That’s neither here nor there. Some people would make a comment but seeing as you are a Spurs fan one I wondered whether your motive for posting is because it’s a news item or whether it's because your lot haven't managed to get their greedy mitts on the stadium. I suspect you feel hard done by and it’s the latter. :D
 
simulatorman said:
That’s neither here nor there. Some people would make a comment but seeing as you are a Spurs fan one I wondered whether your motive for posting is because it’s a news item or whether it's because your lot haven't managed to get their greedy mitts on the stadium. I suspect you feel hard done by and it’s the latter. :D
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I've got over it by now, especially with the news that talks over the NDP have started again to go ahead with the initial plans. :)
 
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