By Andrew Warshaw
February 11 – English Premier League club West Ham United, who are moving to the main Olympic stadium used for the 2012 London Games, have agreed to sell their east London ground to local property developers .
The club are hoping to be tenants at the Olympic stadium in 2016 and although they refused to reveal how much they were being paid for land estimated to be worth around £20 million, they said they had turned down more lucrative offers in order to preserve the club’s legacy.
“There were better offers on the table from more aggressive developers but these were rejected as the club wanted to leave the right legacy for fans and the local community,” a statement said.
Galliard plan to build new homes on the site as well as retail and leisure facilities with underground parking, which would be completed by 2018. The group has also been in talks with the family of former West Ham and England captain Bobby Moore about the possibility of placing a landscaped garden named in his honour at the centre of the site.
After a series of legal disputes, West Ham were chosen as tenants of the Olympic Stadium in March 2013 and vice-chairman Karren Brady said: “We opted to reach an agreement with Galliard because they are a local London developer and employer with origins in east London. We have been true to our word by securing the regeneration of two areas of east London through our move to the Olympic Stadium.”
“In addition, and most importantly for us, we can see that Galliard are passionate about working with West Ham United to engage their supporters to help deliver a fitting legacy that will honour the tradition of the famous ground. We are confident that West Ham United fans will be excited about their vision and the way they plan to respect more than 100 years of West Ham history at Upton Park.”
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