Proposed Lord's development will not harm 2012 archery

THE proposed development of Lord's cricket ground will not affect the archery competition at the London 2012 Olympics.

STAYING PUT: Lord's Cricket Ground remains committed to staging London 2012 archery events, despite development plans (Getty Images)

According to a report in the Times on Wednesday, the Marylebone Cricket Club - the owners of Lord's - revealed they would not consider selling the naming rights to the northwest London stadium in a bid to refinance the £400m redevelopment.

The details of the proposal - Vision for Lord's - were also published.  They claim the refurbishments would increase the capacity of the ground from 30,000 to 37,000, begin in 2011, and take ten years to complete.

But an MCC spokesman revealed the refurbishments were far from set in stone and made it clear any such redevelopments would not impinge on the archery event, set to be held at Lord's in London 2012. They also denied naming rights were for sale.

"Absolutely no works will be undertaken during the London 2012 Olympics and a sporting event such as that will be factored into the works [should they take place]," said a spokesman.

"It is impossible to say how many seats would be out of action and we must reiterate that the redevelopment is still in a process of consultation."

A statement on the MCC website outlines that an agreement to move towards a planning application to Westminster City Council is subject to three conditions.

Those  being financial viability, an agreement with the Rifkind Levy Partnership, who own a strip of land at the Nursery End at Lord's and a clear understanding of the number of international matches likely to be played in England and Wales, during the coming years.