West Ham Football club move could have a drastic effect on pubs in the area
From the start of the 2016/17 season, West Ham will play home matches at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, in the London Borough of Newham. The club will contribute £15m to the £150m project, and will pay a £2m annual rent on the 99-year lease.
Newham Council has offered a £40m loan, and the Government will contribute £60m in funding.
The change of venue means that the pubs surrounding Upton Park will now miss out on the large match-day crowds.
Ron Bolwell, licensee of Spirit Pubs lease the Denmark Arms, fears the move could mean the closure of many pubs in the area.
“When there is no football we take £4,000 in a month. With matches, our sales can be as high as £15,000. Our winter profits carry us through the summer.
“I can’t see many pubs in the area surviving,” he added.
Freehold the Black Lion on Plaistow Road has been a popular drinking venue for West Ham fans for many years. Previous regulars include Sir Bobby Moore and Harry Redknapp.
The pub’s disappointed owner Tom Friel feels this move will “kill” the local area.
“We’ll survive without the football, but some other pubs, which rely heavily on football crowds, will not,” he said.
“If we went to the bank and asked for a £40m loan, having made a substantial loss last year [as West Ham did], would they give it to us?
“The £15m fee is also farcical.”
Alternatively, the move could provide extra revenue for pubs situated closer to the Olympic Stadium.
Pam Hughes, manager of the Greyhound on West Ham Lane, is hoping the pub benefits from West Ham’s upheaval, as happened during the Olympics. “It could bring us another revenue stream,” she said.
“If the fans get off the train at West Ham, they’ll walk straight past our pub.”
In the past five years, the Green Gate, the Castle, the Swan, the Forrester’s, the Golden Lion and the Cumberland have all shut down in the West Ham area.
