Poll rejects Spurs post-2012 plan for Olympic Stadium

Tottenham Hotspur's plans to dismantle the £500m Olympic Stadium and build a football ground are not supported by most Londoners, a BBC poll has found.

Some 81% of Londoners were against the proposals to rip up the athletics track, according to the ComRes phone poll carried out for BBC London.

The poll of 1,001 adults between 21 and 23 January suggests people are adamant there must be an athletics legacy.

Some 70% said the venue should be able to be used for athletics after 2012.

But 26% of respondents disagreed, according to the poll.

London promised to leave an athletics legacy for the capital when it was bidding for the Games.

But Spurs believe the stadium will not work for football and athletics and have proposed to meet the legacy promise by modernising track and field facilities at Crystal Palace.

Leading British and international athletics officials, including 2012 chairman Lord Coe, have opposed the plans and back the bid of rivals West Ham who want to keep the track and use the arena for football and athletics.

Asked which bid should win, West Ham's was supported by 72% of Londoners, with only 13% supporting the Spurs bid.

Some 12% thought neither club should be allowed to take over the stadium.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company is currently studying the two bids and officials are expected to make a decision on their preferred candidate in the next few weeks.

The views of Londoners are important because the city's mayor Boris Johnson, together with the government, will have the final say on which bid is successful.

If the Olympic Park runs at a loss in the future, it is also the mayor who is likely to have to fund it.

That could also affect the bills of council taxpayers in the city.