Tottenham look for support over stadium


Wednesday saw Spurs confirm they would demolish most of the 80,000-seater athletics arena and replace it with a 60,000-capacity purpose-built football venue if they win the bid and decide to relocate from White Hart Lane.


As expected, the club said they would also revamp the Crystal Palace athletics stadium to fulfil the legacy commitment made when London was awarded the 2012 Games.


Unlike bid rivals West Ham, Tottenham remained silent over their plans until Wednesday, just over two weeks before the Olympic Park Legacy Company select their preferred bidder and less than two months before the final decision.


Convincing the OPLC is only half the battle for Spurs, who continue to insist they will not decide between the Olympic Stadium move and the redevelopment of White Hart Lane until a preferred bidder is chosen, despite the latter being around £200million more expensive.


They face serious fan opposition if they choose to relocate, but project architect David Keirle believes the naysayers will ultimately be converted.


He said: "I was heavily involved in the Man City project. Nobody wanted to leave Maine Road. A few years down the line, nobody would ever go back. I've been looking at the chatrooms and there have been some quite emotive comments: 'I'll never go there'.


"But if Spurs plays a very big part in your life and they produce this wonderful stadium and they're winning then I would suspect those people would reconsider that down the line."


Tottenham MP David Lammy and fan group 'We are N17' have led the protests to the Stratford move with their 'No to Stratford Hotspur' campaign.


Lammy said: "I fully support the money spent on the Olympic Stadium, but for it to be only used for a month before being demolished is a diabolical waste of public money."

Source: PA

Source: PA