Upton Park has gone under the hammer! West Ham sell ground as part of biggest London football stadium redevelopment



Boleyn Ground set to be turned into East End 'village' of 700 homes

Gaillard Group have won the bid to buy the stadium

West Ham will move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016

The Hammers have played at Upton Park since 1904

A tribute to Bobby Moore will form centrepiece of ground's legacy on the site

The 'village' is scheduled to be completed by 2018



West Ham have sold the Boleyn Ground, their home for 110 years, to developers Galliard, paving the way for their move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016.

Plans for the site, called ‘East End Village’, include 700 homes.



Fans and residents are expected to vote on naming apartment blocks after West Ham legends such as Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking, Geoff Hurst and Billy Bonds.



VIDEO Scroll down to watch Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble visiting the Olympic stadium



All change: West Ham's famous Upton Park ground has been sold to be turned into 700 flats

Local lad: West Ham star Joe Cole poses for photographers at the Olympic Stadium last year as work continues to turn the arena into West Ham's new home

The site will also feature a claret-and-blue theme to reflect West Ham’s colours.

It is understood the purchase price fell short of the £71.2million the stadium is valued at in club accounts.

No financial details have been disclosed but a report in the London Evening Standard suggests that the club will raise less than the £71.2 million the 35,016 all-seater stadium is valued at in its accounts.

Once the site has been fully developed experts expect it to eventually be worth hundreds of millions of pounds with the apartments expected to prove attractive to fans, investors and other buyers desperate to get a foothold in the London property market.

Blocks of apartments will be built around central public gardens where the pitch is currently laid, following the example set by Arsenal’s former Highbury stadium home in Islington, north London.



A statement on the club's website read: 'West Ham United can confirm that Award-Winning local London developer Galliard Group has reached an agreement to purchase the Boleyn Ground Football Stadium once the club completes its move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016.

'Following a competitive bidding process, West Ham United selected Galliard Group as the purchaser for the site ahead of a number of other national and international companies.



'The club was impressed with Galliard Group's links to the local community and their commitment to honouring the history of the Hammers at the Boleyn Ground as part of their proposed development.'

Away blaze: West Ham captain Kevin Nolan (left) wheels away after scoring his and the Hammers' second in the 2-0 win at Aston Villa

The first match to be played at the iconic Boleyn Ground was against Millwall in 1904.



West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady added: 'We opted to reach an agreement with Galliard because they are a local London developer and employer with origins in east London. We know they are committed to working closely with the local community and Newham Council on proposals to transform the site into a residential and retail village, which will benefit the local community and east London's regional economy.



'The deal demonstrates that we have been true to our word by securing the regeneration of two areas of east London through our move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016.

'In addition, and most importantly for us, we can see that Galliard are passionate about working with West Ham United to engage their supporters to help deliver a fitting legacy that will honour the tradition of the famous ground. We are confident that West Ham United fans will be excited about their vision and the way they plan to respect more than 100 years of West Ham history at Upton Park.'



Stephen Conway, chairman and chief executive of Galliard Group, said: 'Galliard is one of London's most successful regeneration specialists and has a proven track record in stadium land regeneration.

