CRUCIAL paperwork that could have shaped the future of Upton Park has been mislaid by the Diocese of Brentwood.
West Ham United are set to complete a move from their Boleyn Ground home in Upton Park, London, to the nearby £486 million Olympic Stadium in 2016, with the old stadium to become a retail park and luxury flats.
But title registers filed with the Land Registry show a missing historic agreement exists between the club and the diocese.
If found it would give the diocese the right to enforce restrictive covenants thought to outline for what purpose the land can be used.
The land of the club's current ground was purchased by the Westminster Diocesan Education Fund in 1869 to build St Edward's Reformatory for boys.
In 1904 the Irons took a lease on part of the land before the closure of the reformatory in 1907.
The lease was renewed in 1924, by which time the Diocese of Brentwood had been created to include the area.
While the freehold has since been sold to the club, the historic agreement would still be likely to hold legal weight it if its details were discovered.
Have you seen our new website yet? Bookmark www.brentwoodgazette.co.ukHowever a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Brentwood told the Gazette the documents could not be found.
She said: "Land Registry records suggest that there were some restrictive covenants placed on the club at that time but neither the diocese nor the Land Registry can locate any documents relating to them."
With the top-flight club hoping for a new development on the site it is possible West Ham United may have sought to try to buy out the diocese and relinquish themselves of the church's influence.
The Gazette approached West Ham for a comment but they had not provided one by the time we went to press.
