West Ham's 2012 stadium deal not compromised

West Ham remain on course to move into London's 2012 Olympic Stadium after an independent investigation ruled the process that saw the Championship club selected ahead of Tottenham wasn't compromised. The east London outfit, relegated from the Premier League last season, beat north London rivals Tottenham in the race to takeover the £486 million stadium. But the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) called for the inquiry after its corporate services director Dionne Knight was exposed as also having allegedly worked as consultant for West Ham during the bid. After a six-week investigation by auditors Moore Stephens, it was found that Knight did not have access to confidential information and did not pass on any such information to West Ham or anyone else. The OPLC's board, which met on Monday, upheld its decision to name West Ham's joint bid with Newham Council as the preferred winner and ruled there are no grounds for reconsidering its recommendation. Knight was suspended on full pay while any possible conflict of interest was investigated after she declared a personal relationship with Ian Tompkins, a West Ham director. West Ham plan to retain the running track after moving into the stadium in time for the 2014-15 season and intend to convert the 80,000-seater venue into a 60,000-capacity arena for football, athletics, concerts and community use. The OPLC statement said: "After considering the report, the Olympic Park Legacy Company Board has concluded there are no grounds for reconsidering their recommendation to select the consortium of West Ham United FC and the London Borough of Newham as the preferred bidder for the legacy use of the Olympic Stadium." Tottenham have been looking at a legal challenge over the stadium decision and an oral hearing to renew applications for a judicial review is set for August 24.