North London club show surprise interest in Stratford stadium

West Ham registered a formal interest in taking over the East End’s Olympic Stadium following the 2012 Games yesterday (September 30), but London rivals Tottenham also made an audacious late bid.

The north London club is also considering an expansion of their current White Hart Lane home which was granted planning permission last night.

West Ham players Carlton Cole, Mark Noble and Scott Parker visited Downing Street yesterday to present the club’s joint bid with Newham Council, with the Hammers planning to turn the stadium into a 60,000 capacity venue for football, athletics, concerts and community use.

At a planning meeting last night, Haringey Council gave unanimous approval to Spurs’ Northumberland Park project - a �400m expansion of White Hart Lane along with a regeneration of the surrounding area.

But in a joint bid with entertainment giants AEG (Europe), the club also registered their interest in the 80,000-seater Olympic stadium in Stratford with the Olympic Park Legacy Company ahead of yesterday’s deadline.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said: “It is only prudent and good management that we ensure that we investigate all possible options for the club.

“We were informed by the Olympic Park Legacy Company that were we not to register an interest at this time, there would not be an opportunity at any future date.”

A genuine plan to move to a new home in east London would be a big shock to Spurs’ supporters because of the club’s historical links to north London and because Spurs have spent the last three years working on the Northumberland Park plans.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company, which hopes to select a tenant by next March, has not revealed how many other firms expressed an interest in the east London stadium.