Karren Brady says extension of roof and other modifications would cost up to £180m

The Olympic stadium will cost up to £180m to convert into West Ham’s home ground, according to the club’s vice-chairman Karren Brady.

Speaking to BBC London, Brady said that West Ham United football club was the “natural and logical solution” for the stadium’s future, predicting her club could become the “anchor tenant”. 

The cost of converting the venue by extending the roof, creating a pitch, turnstiles, toilets and space for corporate hospitality would be between £150m and £180m, according to Brady.

West Ham launched a bid for the venue in March proposing a 20,000 reduction in capacity to 60,000.

Brady said that the capacity would entice entertainment firm AEG, which owns the O2 Arena in Greenwich, to become a tenant of the Olympic stadium.

“AEG, when I had a discussion with them, would only be interested in the park if we were the tenant. And if it was [only] 25,000 seats, they wouldn’t be interested at all because it’s so middle-of-the-road and it’s not big enough for certain things,” she said.

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