Olympic Park 2012

I don’t want to be cynical, but it strikes me that while we can find c. 16 million pounds* for Sir Fred Goodwin (whose name says it all) the Olympic security budget has a fairly cheap price tag. According to the Press Association:“The Government has pledged to try to keep the policing and security budget for the London 2012 Olympics to £600 million.”

….but let’s focus on the real deal. Sir Clive Woodward (pictured) proposed a £15 million scheme to get UK athletes in training and equip them for successful sporting careers. Despite initial concerns that there was not enough money Andy Burnham (secretary of state for culture media & sport) announced this week that the scheme has now been included in a new partnership, called Team 2012. Funding body UK Sport and the London 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) make up the new Team 2012 partnership, along with the BOA and the British Paralympic Association.

The Times gave good coverage to this good news.
“…a modern apprenticeship scheme in an attempt to prevent young athletes from abandoning their Olympic dreams because of a cash shortfall…as employers, sports governing bodies can apply for up to £10,000 for each 16 to 19-year-old. The funding would give young athletes better access to facilities and coaching while offering them academic and vocational qualifications while they train for the Olympics…Six athletes on the apprenticeships programme competed at the Beijing Games last summer, including Rebecca Adlington, 19, who won two gold medals in the swimming pool.”

*for readers who are just returning from Mars … Fred ‘the shred’ lost a record £24bn last year but kept his discretionary pension for life which is around £700 thousand pa

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Further to the ride and stride initiative (see previous post) there are other olympic transport developments recently announced :

1. a sorely needed tube expansion in East London, running north-south
“By June 2010, the line will run from Dalston Junction in the north to New Cross, Crystal Palace and West Croydon in the south. By February 2011 we will have extended it to Highbury & Islington. We are also planning to extend the line west from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction. ” TFL
for a full East London Line map click here

2. It does not look like much yet, but it will be a four lane bridge into Stratford centre…

“The bridge’s steel arch is made up of three sections, each weighing around 65 tonnes, and the final section of the arch was lifted into place last week using an 800-tonne crane … the bridge is due for overall completion in May.” ODA

3. A 50-metre long tunnel
Sorry no pictures of that yet!

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The latest initiative announced by London Mayor Boris Johnson is a 11.5 Million pound investment in the local cycle routes and walk ways. The intention is to encourage spectators to be active, and also to improve the existing cycling infrastructure in London. I like it but not for either of these reasons.

ODA Chair John Armitt said: ‘London 2012’s aim is for 100 per cent of spectators to get to the Games using public transport, walking or cycling’. An impressive ambition to be sure, but the investment seems targeted at the walking/cycling more than the public transport side. According to Builder & Engineer Online:

“The ODA’s investment will see two new walking and cycling paths created and six more significantly improved. The new cycling paths will stretch from Finsbury Park to Victoria Park, where 5,000 new bike spaces will be provided for Games-time use, and from Epping Forest and the Wanstead Flats to Stratford.”

As a cyclist part of me is very pleased, but as everyone who has used the tube or busses in London will know, the public transport system is pretty creaky, what with having been built so long ago. There already exists a network of cyclepaths, canal towpaths and greenways that is used for commuting and it could do with a little work but nothing compared to the London underground.

Cycle route map from ODA

Perhaps the real benefit of this might be that is helps develop a ‘London Olympic brand’. Since the handover ceremony at Beijing, which most people feel was a poor representation of what UK could offer the world in 2012, Brits have not really developed an idea of how to package the games and make it uniquely ‘British’ or special. We are pretty good at being understated, but it would be a shame if this translated into a complete lack of inspiration. If ‘active spectatorship’ is one of the definining characteristics of the games, I’d be pleased. It that a ‘British’ thing? Probably, but even if it isn’t yet, it could still be.

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The Olympic Development Authority (ODA) is no longer going to be tasked with the legacy of the area. The legacy work will involve working out details of planning applications, 6 spatial plans for the area, development of affordable homes and future use of the anticipated amenities (e.g. the an arts academy, the aquatics centre and more).

Regen.net says:
“The authority debated giving planning powers to the newly created Olympic legacy vehicle. But Russell said: “The boroughs are responding well to the single planning body.” The committee includes representatives from the London Boroughs of Greenwich, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.”

The Olympic Legacy tasks will also include a Cultural Olympiad (more on than later), and a lot of design work:

Design week says:
“Legacy has been a key part of the design briefs in the Olympic Park. Jason Bruges, who won the commission to create bridges and underpasses in the park along with Allies and Morrison and artist Martin Richman, talks of having to ‘design backwards’”

Here is a timeline for the work so far.

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The Olympic Delivery authority (ODA) announced that the foundations have now been completed for the energy centre. The idea is that the energy centre is environmentally concious and uses green sources of energy.

The press release from the London 2012 Site says :

The Energy Centre will include biomass fired boilers using sustainable biomass fuels to generate heat, and a Combined Cooling Heat & Power (CCHP) plant to capture the heat generated by electricity production. This contributes significantly to ODA’s overall target to reduce carbon emissions by 50 per cent across the Olympic Park. The site-wide heat network will generate domestic hot water and heat the Aquatics Centre swimming pools and other venues and buildings. The Energy Centre design is flexible to allow future technologies to be incorporated as they are developed in years to come.
The foundations of the Energy Centre building were completed at the start of the year and work is now nearing completion to erect the steel frame of the building. Over 500 tonnes of steel used will be used in the structure which will be 45m tall at its highest point. Once the steel frame has been completed, 3,500 square metres of concrete ‘planks’ will be lifted into place to form the floors and roof of the Energy Centre.

The Energy Centre is due for completion by the end of 2009 and is expected to become operational from early 2010 when it will begin providing heated water to the Olympic Stadium. The Energy Centre will then be connected to further venues and buildings when they are completed, delivering an early legacy of essential services throughout the Olympic Park.

Work on the wider utilities infrastructure across the Olympic Park is also making strong progress. The electrical substation structure is taking shape and is due for completion in the summer. Work is also well underway on the pumping station and 1.8km foul sewer networks which are due to be operational by the end of 2009.

Some Pictures :

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As the economy worsens and things get tougher, some see the Olympics as a curse. Of course in tough times it may seem that it is indeed a curse, as the taxpayer ends up funding more and more of the project. Private developers are dropping out of the project quickly as financing dries up and the government has had to pick up the slack. This piece in the Chicago Tribune warns Chicago about their own bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
However in reality we should not worry so much about the Olympic project. True, things are now worse than we had anticipated at the time of bidding. However in many ways this is the perfect type of project for the government to spend money on – it sets up a lot of long-term infrastructure, creates jobs during the downturn and regenerates a depressed area of London. In short this is what a Keynesian stimulus in times of recession should be all about – long-term investment that will give a long-term boost and at the same time create jobs and potentially re-train people laid off in other industries. I would much rather the government spends on projects like this than waste it on other projects which may yield nothing for the country.

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Boris Johnson is backing plans for a University to establish a campus when the games are finished. Among the universities in talks are Imperial, Kings College and University College – all pretty reputable colleges. Loughborough are also said to be involved in the talks, and that makes sense given their sporting pedigree.
At a time when the economy is really suffering and the Olympic development comes under funding pressure, I think this is a creative solution and also one that would ensure a long term legacy for the area. A university in the area could be great for the future economy of the East End of London. A college like Imperial could bring a lot of jobs to the area and also give the potential for a technology park growing in the area similar to places like Cambridge.

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