CONSTRUCTION AND VENUES In a sign of the progress underway in Stratford the first new tree will be planted on the Olympic Park next month. The sight of landscaping, often an afterthought in Olympic construction, will boost optimism about the evolution of London’s park.
While the final venues for badminton and rhythmic gymnastics remain uncertain – both sports are being pressed to accept Wembley Arena – progress on-site has been relatively smooth, albeit at a fearsome cost to the taxpayer.
Plans to privately finance the Olympic village and media and broadcast centres collapsed like a distressed marathon runner as the credit crunch bit last year, and the public bail-out of both projects ensures that the bulk of the £9.3 billion build budget will be spent.
More than £1billion of contingency funding remains unspent, which will help as the immovable deadline nears and the big-ticket items approach completion. The Olympic Delivery Authority reaches its maximum of 10,000 workers in the next year.
The next 12 months will see the concrete-and-steel skeletons on site fleshed out, with the roof of the aquatic centre, which doubles as the main pedestrian access to the park, due for completion next summer.
The big deadline is the summer of 2011 when all the sports venues have to be complete and handed to the London organising committee for test events. The velodrome, Olympic Stadium, aquatics centre, international broadcast centre, basketball and handball arenas are all due to be ready 12 months out from the Games.
If its going to happen the ODA and its partners will need to maintain their discipline, particularly in relation to industrial relations, and make sure that they shrewdly use the pot of contingency cash to keep the wheels of progress turning.
SOURCE FROM WWW.TELEGRAPH.CO.UK
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