New seating to add £50m to cost of London Stadium

THE cost of converting the London Stadium could rise by a further £50million because the owners may rip out the retractable seating and replace it with a superior system.

The issue threatens the viability of West Ham’s ground being able to host concerts and athletics events, with engineers estimating it could take three weeks currently to reconfigure the lower tier of the stadium — far longer than was initially predicted and a turnaround time that will cause lost income.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has already ordered an investigation into the venue’s finances due to costs rising above £750m. Any move now to replace the retractable seats with an improved, hydraulic system will cost another £50m.

The stadium needs a three-week window to host a one-day event such as a concert, plus it would incur considerable labour charges, as the current reconfiguration system needs to be carried out manually. That period of time isn’t available during the football season, meaning

By Alex Miller

the stadium in its current form can only realistically host events in the summer.

With the football season ending in late May and preseason games starting in early July, the stadium will only have a two-month window to host events.

More time will be lost as some weekends over the summer are likely to include athletics meetings as part of the Olympic Stadium’s contractual obligations.

As a result, there is a genuine fear the stadium cannot compete with the likes of Wembley, the O2 and Twickenham, plus major outdoor locations such as Hyde Park.

This is why discussions have taken place with stakeholders considering whether to bring builders back to the stadium, as well as a potential timetable for t he refit.

A spokesman for the stadium said: ‘The Mayor has recently announced an investigation into the seating at the stadium and we will await its conclusion before making a decision on the longterm plans for the seats.’