By David Gold
August 24 – Tottenham Hotspur’s legal fight over the future of the 2012 Olympic Stadium has begun at the High Court, contrary to reports suggesting they were set to drop their case.
Tottenham lost out to West Ham United when the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) ruled earlier this year on which side would be allowed to take over the stadium after next year’s Olympic Games.
Mr Justice Collins queried Tottenham’s application to mount a legal challenge to the decision at the High Court today, quoting reports that he had heard suggesting the case would be dropped, but the club’s lawyers insisted that it was still active.
Dinah Rose QC said that the stadium’s future was a matter of “considerable public importance.”
“Some £500 million ($787 million/€595 million) has been spent on the Olympic Stadium,” she said.
“The question of what happens to it when the games are over next summer is obviously a matter of very considerable importance as well as political sensitivity.”
She argued that the OPLC’s decision was unfair, and it is now up to the judge to decide whether Tottenham have an arguable case, and if so a separate hearing will take place.
Leyton Orient are also still in the process of challenging the decision as it means West Ham will be moving to a stadium barely a mile from their Brisbane Road home.
The club’s chair Barry Hearn believes that such a move threatens the existence of the club unless it moves out of the area.
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