West Ham could be open to Tottenham groundshare
West Ham could be willing to allow Tottenham Hotspur to share the Olympic Stadium while their White Hart Lane home is being rebuilt, according to a report.
West Ham will move into their new home in time for the 2016-17 season and are not prepared to share the ground with another club long-term after working so hard to secure the venue.
However, according to the Times, the club might allow Tottenham to rent the stadium for 2017-18, who would then move into their new 56,250-seat home the following season.
Tottenham were part of the original bidding process for the Olympic Stadium but pulled out in 2011, leaving the way open for West Ham to secure a 99-year lease. The move survived an aborted judicial review challenge by local club Leyton Orient, with West Ham set to pay £2 million a season in rent to be anchor tenants and retain a veto over which other events can be held in the stadium.
The softening in West Ham’s stance comes after vice-chairman Karren Brady last month suggested the club would veto any attempts by Tottenham to play matches in the Olympic Stadium.
“No one has asked us for our permission and, if they did, we would probably say no, depending on who it is – if you get my drift,” she said. “We are the anchor tenant for the winter matches and nothing else can happen in that time without our permission and our football matches take priority over everything else.”
The possibility of using the Olympic Stadium will come as welcome news at Tottenham after the FA this week ruled out Wembley as a potential temporary home.
Wembley was the overwhelming fans’ favourite in a poll by the Tottenham Supporters’ Trust taken last month, while the group said it has “serious issues” with the club’s other option – Milton Keynes’s stadium:mk.
They have complained about the distance from London and the fact the 22,000 capacity of the stadium is lower than the number of season-ticket holders at White Hart Lane.
The club’s initial plan was to remain at White Hart Lane while a new stadium is built on an adjoining site, with the final work taking place in the close season.
However, Tottenham later decided that it will be cheaper to move out altogether while work on the new ground is complete, with the project likely to cost between £350m and £400m.
The club secured planning permission for a new stadium almost three years ago but have been weighed down by delays. They still need to buy one piece of land but Archway Metals, a local business, has appealed against a compulsory purchase order on its property.
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