Market tests will help decide Olympic Stadium future

The Olympic stadium is still under construction

A decision over who gets to use the Olympic Stadium after the London 2012 Games must be made by the end of the financial year, it has been announced.

Baroness Ford, who chairs the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), told MPs that "market testing" will help decide the future of the £540m public asset.

She said the OPLC want an "agreed position" by the end of the year.

In January Premier League club West Ham expressed an interest in the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London.

There have been reports that rugby and Twenty20 cricket might be suitable for the venue, but Baroness Ford has insisted that the bid pledges, including having a Grand Prix athletics track after the Games, "have to be met".

The Olympic Stadium grass surface complies with the requirements of Fifa and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

No formal talks

Baroness Ford said there there seemed no reason why football and athletics could not co-exist in the stadium.

Baroness Ford told the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: "I am quite confident that we can get to a good decision on the stadium but we must do it this year because it cannot be left to just drag on."

West Ham's new co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan who took over the cash-strapped club have confirmed their interest in relocating to the 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium.

Baroness Ford confirmed that the OPLC is not engaged with formal talks with anyone, including West Ham, saying OPLC is in "lots of discussions with many other people".

The OPLC is in charge of planning, developing and managing the Olympic Park.