A court victory for West Ham in their legal case over increased capacity at the London Stadium later this month may not achieve an immediate increase in capacity.
The Hammers and E20 head to court where a judge is set to resolve the issue which has some ambiguities in the contract signed by both sides.
However, even if the club wins the case they will need to persuade Newham council update their safety certificate following any legal decision.
The council made their position clear on the capacity being increased to 60,000 earlier this year at a Newham led Safety Advisory group where it was recorded in the minutes:
“The likelihood for an application to increase the capacity to 60,00 was raised on 13 Feb 2017, at the time there were two main issues which were raised these being fan behavior and bridge congestion both of which have now been sorted.
West Ham are aware that there is still work to be done. However, in the meantime they would like to invite stakeholders views and concerns in relation to the potential application.”
The Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) said: “They are concerned that the egress is still problematic even with the low attendees. Persistent standing in the upper tiers, block 114-116 problems and the need for large segregated areas still needs to be worked on. With those thoughts in mind the SGSA would need to visit the stadium further to review.”
Meanwhile, Westfield Shopping Centre said they “Will need to deliberate and submit their concerns as they are not confident that egress is working effectively.”
The Met Police commenting said they “Have no significant concerns in relation to the proposed increase in capacity application at this time.”
Operators LS185 added: “No concerns in relation to handling an increased crowd within the stadium, however, they also support the concerns raised by the SGSA.”
Newham added: “Should an application be submitted, then formal objections would need to be presented and will be taken into consideration during the consultation period. A full seating manifest would need to be submitted which will be assessed following the guidance contained within the Green Guide. From a SAG point of view the egress still needs resolving but from a Safety Certificate and Licensing perspective there are remaining issues which could potentially be resolved.”
In June this year Newham told the Safety Advisory Board that “they reserve the right to put zero capacity on those first three rows should persistent standing be an issue” That threat appears to have now been actioned with the first two rows of blocks 216 and 217 cordoned off.
Should the courts decide West Ham have the right to use the extra 3,000 seats then Newham council will still need decide whether it is safe to do so.
