By Andrew Warshaw
June 29 – The future of the Olympic stadium after London 2012 remains unresolved after Tottenham Hotspur made one last pitch to take over the venue by announcing they will return to the High Court seeking a judicial review.
Last week, Tottenham’s challenge against the decision to award the stadium to West Ham United was turned down when a High Court judge declared there were no grounds for a review.
But the North London club has the chance, by law, to state their case in an oral hearing and has taken up the option.
“The club has today applied to the High Court to renew its application for permission to bring a claim against the London Borough of Newham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the Mayor of London and Government Ministers for judicial review of their decisions underlying the bid process for the conversion of the Olympic Stadium after the 2012 Games,” the club said in a statement.
“Under this process the club now has the opportunity to present its case at an oral hearing at the High Court.”
Newham Council has arranged a £40 million ($64 million) loan to finance West Ham’s move but Spurs are refusing to accept defeat.
Tottenham’s plan is to rebuild the stadium without the running track and, by way of a commitment to athletics, redevelop the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace.
The club has concurrently been perusing the option of enlarging its current White Hart Lane ground but has come up against major financial and commercial obstacles.
Last week, Tottenham admitted that building a new stadium close to the site of their existing ground could not be done without greater commitment from the local authority.
Planning permission has already been granted but rising costs means the club would have to find potentially £500 million ($802 million) to go ahead with the so-called Northumberland Development Project (NDP) – unless they manage to acquire sufficient public backing.
“Obviously we are taking a fresh look at things and are trying to find viability to drive the NDP, but it won’t happen without public sector support,” executive director Donna Cullen told insideworldfootball at the Inside World Football forum in Moscow last Friday (June 24).
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