West Ham confirmed preferred bidder for Olympic stadium

West Ham has been confirmed as the preferred bidder to take on the Olympic stadium at an the Olympic Park Legacy Company board meeting this morning.

The move, in conjunction with Newham council, will involve a £95m redevelopment of the stadium after the Games, paid for by a combination of central government and local council money, and means that Tottenham Hotspurs’ KSS-designed scheme is not now likely to go forward.

Lord Sugar, the former chair of Tottenham, has already criticised the decision, which he says will create a white elephant legacy for the stadium.

Tottenham is not thought to have ruled out legal action over the decision, which still has to be ratified by the mayor of London and ministers.

Haringey council, which stood to lose out from Tottenham moving its ground from the borough, has already issued a statement backing the decision.

The OPLC said that West Ham’s bid was the only which met the five criteria behind the decision, which were: value for money; the ability to deliver; the ability to reopen as rapidly as possible; the ability to ensure the stadium remains “a distinctive physical symbol”; and the ability to allow flexible use of the stadium for elite sport, the public, schools and community groups.