West Ham Stadium will be demolished in 2016 when the West Ham FC move to their new home in the Olympic Park.

Property developers Galliard have been accepted by the club as the new owners of the site and they have put in a planning application to Newham Council to build a “village” of 838 homes (as well as some community facilities, hall, library etc) - pictured above. They are proposing just 51 flats as 'shared ownership' but for the majority of residents in Newham this will still cost too much. And they are providing no social rented housing at all.

Galliard proudly provide homes at the luxury end of the market. In their recent development in Canning Town, the price of a 2 bedroom apartment started at £435,000.

The Boleyn Ground will be another private development in Newham that local residents can’t afford.

On p40 of the planning application, it says that a Financial Viability Statement (FVS) has been confidentially submitted in support of the application to the council and states that..…..it would not be viable to deliver any affordable housing as part of this scheme.

Why should a FVS be confidential? Surely Newham residents should have access to this information.

Newham has published targets (Core Strategy 2012-2027):

-- 39 per cent of new homes will to go to families

-- between 35 per cent and 50 per cent of all housing developments of ten or more homes will have to be “affordable housing”

Newham Council’s catchphrase is "Newham, where people live, work and stay". Isn’t it about time the council stood up for its own residents, who are badly in need of housing, instead of courting rich investors who have no intention of living, working or staying here?

Queens Market is neighbours with the West Ham ground. Friends of Queens Market says: Don't let developers price local people out of Green Street.

If you agree, please sign this petition. Spread the word!

Comment on the planning application before the deadline

13 February 2015. Link here:

https://pa.newham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=NG3ZV5JY5F400