Leyton Orient FC have renewed an application for a judicial review into the tenancy of the Olympic Stadium.
The Os had a written request for a review rejected by a court in April, but have repeated their request for a review of the London Legacy Development Corporation’s (LLDC) decision to deny the club a chance to become a co-tenant at the Stratford site.
West Ham secured a 99-year tenancy at the stadium in March and Os chairman Barry Hearn fears the move would threaten the existence of the League One club.
The judicial review would look into his claim that the LLDC had breached its rules by failing to fully explore the possibility of a groundshare between Orient and the Hammers.
The allegation has been denied by the LLDC.
West Ham will move to the site in August 2016, at a cost of between £150 million and £190 million to adapt the stadium for football.
According to reports, the government has agreed to contribute an extra £25 million to the conversion costs – bringing its total input to £60 million.
West Ham has also agreed to increase its own funding of the project by £5million to £15million.
The club will pay around £2m a year rent.
But Hearn told the Guardian previously that he was confident of winning the review if it is granted, and believes it could result in a fresh bidding process to share the ground with the Premier League club.
Mr Hearn said: “We fear for the worst.
“West Ham have been the beneficiaries of a fabulously inexpensive deal paid by the taxpayers and all we’re saying is Orient should benefit as well from the Olympic legacy of sport.
“West Ham are already giving away 100,000 tickets to watch a Premier League side in a huge venue and I don’t think it’s much of a fair fight.
“We could become the hidden tribe of the east end.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel