EPL West Ham United will try to retain London Olympic Stadium’s triangular floodlight structures despite "plans to remove the arena’s most distinctive feature being considered by London Mayor Boris Johnson," according to Paul Kelso of the London TELEGRAPH. The floodlights, a "landmark of London’s Olympic skyline," could be removed when a new roof is fitted on the stadium. West Ham, who is reported as the front runners to occupy the stadium, wants to "retain the lights" and keep the building "looking as it did during the Olympics." However, engineers drawing up plans for the stadium legacy have "proposed removing the stanchions," which weigh a total of 600 tons, because the cost of retaining them "was considered prohibitive." The current roof only covers 60% of the seats, so "a new structure with full coverage is a prerequisite of its use as a football stadium." The roof is one of a number of issues that "remains to be resolved in negotiations" between the London Legacy Development Corp., which is now chaired by Johnson, and West Ham (TELEGRAPH, 9/19).
