Steve Lawrence says both Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United should play at a revamped Olympic stadium – with the revenue being used to build an adjacent athletics venue to preserve the legacy issue that has caused such widespread controversy.

Over 10 years ago, Lawrence was commissioned by Stratford Development Partnership to carry out an alternative feasibility study for the Olympics once it became clear that Wembley would never be a viable location.

He proposed that any venue in Stratford should, after the Games, both have a legacy use and be shared by Tottenham and West Ham as anchor tenants.

But this idea was, he says, ironically rejected after hostility by local land-owners.

Lawrence, a partner in the London-based firm Carrick, Howell and Lawrence, still believes his initial recommendation is the best solution and is astounded at the idea that consideration is being given to either club, West Ham in particular, playing there on their own.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) are due to announce their preferred bidder within the next few weeks, with the locally-based East London club as favourites.

As a result, Lawrence has written to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) urging them to take the matter out of the OPLC's·hands.

He says the only sustainable solution would be joint tenants.

"By having both clubs as joint anchor tenants, it would create double the revenue stream," Lawrence said in an interview with insidethegames.

"That additional revenue could then pay for an athletics facility.

"It's a win-win situation.

"It gives UK Athletics what it wants,· two football clubs what they want and a facility that will never be a white elephant.

"Besides, the original proposal was for the main stadium and the warm-up arena to be right beside each other.

"The proposition was that, post-Olympics, the former would be used for football and the latter become a 25,000-seater athletics facility."

West Ham have staked their case on preserving the athletics track around the Stadium in an all-in-one venue and are being backed by a raft of high-ranking track and field administrators determined to preserve the legacy aspect.

"It's absolutely daft," Lawrence declared.

"It just doesn't work in a football stadium.

It didn't work at what is now Manchester City's stadium.



"And it didn't work for Bayern Munich who got fed up with a running track around the Olympic Stadium (pictured) - and eventually moved out."

Insidethegames has seen a copy of the exchange of emails between Lawrence and the DCMS.·

The latter's response to his call for action amounts to a virtual snub.

"It's absolutely typical," said Lawrence who is furious that so much public money has already been wasted.

"They simply have got to grasp the nettle.

"It's no good leaving this to what is, in effect, a quango.

"The Government hold the power and should do something, if only for the sake of the tax-payer.

"Where is the common sense in this debate?"

Pressed on the fact that Tottenham and West Ham might not agree to ground-share, Lawrence said: "I understand this but I think they might consider it as a way of getting into a 60,000-seater stadium.

"My fear is we are missing a fantastic opportunity.

"I suspect if West Ham get hold of the stadium, they will probably take the running track out anyway at some point.

"I think that's inevitable."


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