THE already astronomical cost of converting West Ham’s London Stadium could rise by a further £50million – as the owners may rip out the retractable seating and replace it.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has already ordered an investigation into the former London 2012 Olympic Stadium’s finances due to costs rising above £750m – all falling on the taxpayer.
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And any move now to replace the retractable seats with an improved, hydraulic system will cost another £50m.
The issue of temporary seats threatens the viability of West Ham’s stadium being able to host concerts and athletics events – a crucial source of income, as well as considerable labour charges as the current configuration needs to be done manually.
In order to hold those events, engineers estimate it could take three weeks currently to reconfigure the lower tier of the stadium.
That is far longer than was initially predicted and a turnaround time that will cause lost income, prompting owners to want to improve the current system.
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Three weeks is not available during the Premier League season, meaning the stadium in its current form can only realistically host events in the summer.
And with the football season ending in May and pre-season games starting in early July, the stadium will only have a two-month window to host events.
Fewer gigs than that could take place, as there are summer athletics meetings as part of the Olympic Stadium’s contractual obligations.
So there are fears the stadium cannot compete with the likes of Wembley, the O2 and Twickenham - leading to discussions between stakeholders whether to bring builders back in to make a more effective solution.
Since the Hammers moved in at the start of the season, it has been beset by problems, most notably the constant trouble between fans inside the ground.
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 long-term plans for the seats."
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