West Ham have been issued the final documentation which will allow
the Leeds game to go ahead on schedule tomorrow.
Newham council safety officers finally signed the safety certificate this afternoon after a last inspection of the West stand and have issued the following statement:
'Newham council is delighted to have issued the safety certificate for the new Dr.Martens stand.
We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the club to make this happen as the development continues and we wish the club all the best for the season.'
Stadium manager John Ball says:
"I'm absolutely delighted but very tired; I've been working many long hours in the past few weeks for this.
"There has been a great effort from the hospitality people, the ground staff, the new cleaning company, and too many people to mention.
"As I speak there is still a lot of work being done, and the fans will see the fruits of everyone's efforts tomorrow.
"I am very relieved - it's been a lot of work and I just hope the team win now!
"It will be a historic day and when people see the facilities available I think they will be impressed."
Staff at the club have been working around the clock to beat a number of problems - not least the weather over the winter which hampered the building work.
"I wouldn't grumble too much about the weather, though it was one of all sorts of difficulties we have had to overcome," says John.
"We've worked very well with Taylor Woodrow and without a good relationship we couldn't have achieved this successful outcome.
"The local authority licensing department have been working very closely with us, which means
we are now ready to go."
Not that the issuing of the safety certificate signals the end of the work, as John explains:
"There is still a lot to be done and we will carry on on Monday working towards finishing the whole stand in November.
"It is only the upper tier, and there is still more effort to go in before the West stand is finished.
"Then we will look forward to working on the East stand!"
Newham council safety officers finally signed the safety certificate this afternoon after a last inspection of the West stand and have issued the following statement:
'Newham council is delighted to have issued the safety certificate for the new Dr.Martens stand.
We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the club to make this happen as the development continues and we wish the club all the best for the season.'
Stadium manager John Ball says:
"I'm absolutely delighted but very tired; I've been working many long hours in the past few weeks for this.
"There has been a great effort from the hospitality people, the ground staff, the new cleaning company, and too many people to mention.
"As I speak there is still a lot of work being done, and the fans will see the fruits of everyone's efforts tomorrow.
"I am very relieved - it's been a lot of work and I just hope the team win now!
"It will be a historic day and when people see the facilities available I think they will be impressed."
Staff at the club have been working around the clock to beat a number of problems - not least the weather over the winter which hampered the building work.
"I wouldn't grumble too much about the weather, though it was one of all sorts of difficulties we have had to overcome," says John.
"We've worked very well with Taylor Woodrow and without a good relationship we couldn't have achieved this successful outcome.
"The local authority licensing department have been working very closely with us, which means
we are now ready to go."
Not that the issuing of the safety certificate signals the end of the work, as John explains:
"There is still a lot to be done and we will carry on on Monday working towards finishing the whole stand in November.
"It is only the upper tier, and there is still more effort to go in before the West stand is finished.
"Then we will look forward to working on the East stand!"