London Olympics 2012

Friends of Greenwich Park, the Westcombe Society, the Blackheath Society, the Greenwich Society, Greenwich Council, the Royal Parks and Nick Raynsford MP attended the meeting. They heard an update about the current feasibility work being carried out and thinking behind the designs. As plans are still being finalised, LOCOG gave assurances that consultations would continue in the next few months and give interested groups the chance to feed back.

LOCOG also reiterated the commitment to return the park to the same state it receives after the Games; and to close as little of the park as possible at any one time.

A sports Competition Manager has been appointed for the event who is an expert in the equestrian world.

Construction will start two months earlier than planned today on the Zaha Hadid designed London 2012 Aquatics Centre, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced today. Work will start on the foundations of the venue which will form a stunning ‘Gateway to the Games’ in 2012, and in legacy will provide world-class swimming facilities that London does not currently have.

The ODA also announced that it had delivered virtually all, and exceeded some. of its ‘dig, demolish, design: milestones to Beijing’ and set out its next set of milestones for the year ahead, ‘the big build: foundations’.

The milestones hit by the ODA in the past year include:

• 192 buildings demolished
• over one million cubic metres of soil excavated to shape the park
• two six kilometre tunnels and 200km of cabling complete
• contractors appointed to build the ‘Big Four’ Olympic Park venues and design work well-advanced
• construction started on the Olympic Stadium three months ahead of schedule
• construction started two months early on Aquatics Centre
• construction started on the Olympic Village.

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'Last April the ODA set out a series of challenging milestones we were aiming to achieve on the project by this summer, so that the public could judge the progress we are making.

'We have hit these deadlines in virtually every regard and exceeded them in some cases. We have started construction early on both the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre, which will form a fantastic gateway to the Games and provide permanent world-class swimming and diving facilities for the capital. Work is also underway on the Olympic Village.

'Today we are publishing 10 new milestones - ‘the big build: foundations’ - that we plan to achieve by 27 July 2009, just three years away from the London 2012 Games Opening Ceremony. We have made a very solid start though realise that tough challenges will lie ahead.'

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: 'It is important that London 2012 meets all major milestones and this demonstrates that we are making good progress. I am delighted that work is starting early on the Aquatics Centre. This is a major venue on the Olympic Park, which will provide London and the south east with much needed world class swimming and diving facilities for both elite athletes and for community usage after the Games.

'This is the year that construction starts in earnest on the Olympic Park and it is a fantastic sight to see. In four years time London will have a world class Aquatics Centre, a state of the art VeloPark and a new Athletics Stadium. These facilities will be at the heart of a wonderful summer of sport in 2012 and for elite and community use for many generations. I hope that this will inspire more people to take up sport and that it will lead to more British medal successes in the years to come.'

Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell said: 'The Aquatics Centre will be one of the most recognisable venues in the world and be seen by billons of people.

'It will also provide desperately needed swimming and diving facilities for elite and community use and leave a lasting sporting and social legacy that will benefit east London and beyond for many years.

'The ODA should also be congratulated on delivering virtually all its major milestones to Beijing. This should inspire confidence as we move in to the next crucial big build stage of the project.'

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'Just a few weeks after work started on the Stadium, London and the UK can be proud that we have hit another milestone well ahead of schedule. In the coming months and years, we will see a spectacular Olympic Park rise from the ground, culminating in 2012 when the world will witness the most spectacular celebration of sporting achievement in our wonderful capital city.'

Speaking at the start of construction on the Aquatics Centre site today, Jessica Williams, a 14 year old diver from the Crystal Palace 2012 Olympic Fast Track Team who has been travelling to Sheffield to train, said: 'The London 2012 diving pool will be the best the world with a dry diving gym, water harnesses and a bubble machine for learning hard dives. Being a London diver I am so lucky that I will be one of the first divers to practice on the boards when it opens.

'Living in London, I hear about the Olympics every day and it is such an inspiration for me and my team mates. This year, after winning Nationals, I was invited to the England Squad and I am already working hard to secure my place on the 2012 Olympic Diving Team.'

Milestones for the year ahead include the removal of 52 pylons currently scarring the site as power switches underground, the completion of the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre foundations, the completion of the works at the Weymouth and Portland sailing venue and work underway on the foundations of the VeloPark and International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre.

A full list of the new milestones - ‘big build: foundations’ is in a downloadable document. 

Aquatics Centre key facts:

• The Zaha Hadid designed Aquatics Centre is located in the south of the Olympic Park and will be the main ‘Gateway into the Games’, hosting Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo finals and the swimming discipline of the Modern Pentathlon.
• The Aquatics Centre will have a capacity of 17,500 during the Games, reducing to a maximum of 2,500 in legacy, with the ability to add 1000 for major events, and provide two 50m swimming pools, a diving pool and dry diving area - facilities that London does not have at present.
• Eleven industrial buildings have been demolished on the 55,000 square metre site.
• Around 130,000 tonnes of soil have been dug out on of what was one of the more challenging and complex areas of the Olympic Park contaminated with pollutants including petrol, oil, tar, solvents and heavy metals such as arsenic and lead.
• Four skeletons were discovered and removed from a prehistoric settlement discovered on the site of the Aquatic Centre.
• 140,000 tonnes of clean soil has been brought from other areas of the Olympic Park to prepare for construction to start.
• Planning permission has been achieved and Balfour Beatty has recently been appointed to build the Aquatics Centre and huge land-bridge that forms the roof of the training pool and the main pedestrian access to the Olympic Park. Construction work will be complete in 2011 for test events ahead of the Games.
• The sweeping roof, which is 160m long and 95m at its widest point, is an innovative 2800 tonne steel structure with a riking and robust aluminium covering resting on three supports just 1m squared.
• The design team is currently considering different types of timber cladding for the internal ceiling of the venue and the sides of the roof supports. The timber selected will be tested over the next twelve months to ensure it works both for the Games and in legacy before installation in 2010.
• The budget for the Aquatics Centre is £242m and the budget for the land-bridge that will also form part of the roof of the venue is £61m. The total of £303m has not changed and is within the ODA’s Baseline Budget as announced by the DCMS last December.

While the ODA has exceeded a number of its ‘milestones to Beijing’, it reported that due to the wider economic climate it has taken longer than anticipated to agree financing of the Olympic Village development.

The ODA also explained that due to contamination on the original site, construction work on the Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre was delayed while a new site was secured and that while the treatment of contaminated soil on the Olympic Park is slightly behind schedule, the construction programme is unaffected.

The world class British consortium will transform the 1.3 million square feet media hub into quality mixed-use office and business space after the Games, larger than Canary Wharf tower, providing a legacy of over 8000 new jobs in Hackney.

Previous Carillion projects include Government Communications HQ, the News International printing operation and the regeneration of a 138-acre site in Swindon. Previous Igloo regeneration projects include Leeds Holbeck, Bermondsey Square and Cardiff Bay.

The IBC/MPC site has been cleared. We expect planning permission and final designs to be agreed later this year. This will trigger the private sector finance for the scheme to be in place ready to start construction next Spring as planned. The details of this significant private and public sector investment for Hackney will be given when planning permission has been secured.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: “Today’s announcement is a significant step towards the provision of the best possible working environment and technology for the 20,000 members of the world’s broadcasters, press and photographers in the summer of 2012.

“Millions of people around the world rely on the international media to relay the stories of human endeavour on the field of play. The impressive facilities we have planned will give us the best possible foundations for telling all the stories from the London 2012 Games whilst leaving high performance workspace for the east of London.”

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: “We now have world class teams in place to deliver four of the ‘big five’ Olympic Park venues. The agreement to develop the IBC/MPC will represent a significant private sector investment into the regeneration of Hackney, which has some of the highest unemployment levels in the country.

“Carillion Igloo will bring a combined construction and regeneration excellence to create the media hub to transmit the London 2012 Games across the world but also to transform the venue into a vibrant and sustainable employment space in legacy.”

Olympics Minister, Tessa Jowell said: "This is excellent news – this deal will not only provide state-of-the-art broadcast and press centres during the Games, but after 2012 will deliver much needed jobs in modern and creative industries to an area that suffers from high unemployment.

"This demonstrates yet again how serious we are about using the Games to benefit the people of London and the whole UK for generations to come."

The Mayor of Hackney, Jules Pipe, said: “The media centres are a once in a generation opportunity for the East End, and Hackney as a location represents a fantastic opportunity for media industries. By 2012 the transport links into Hackney Wick and Stratford will be amongst the best in the UK.

“This Borough is already home to a vibrant new media and creative industry sector. Many of London’s media professionals already live in Hackney, attracted by its combination of affordability and creativity. Hackney is the ideal location for a new digital media village. There is already significant interest in the centres from the industry, and we will work closely with Carillion Igloo and our London 2012 partners to ensure this lasting legacy is achieved.”

During the Games the IBC/MPC will provide 20,000 of the world’s print, wire, digital and TV media with state-of-the-art facilities to tell the story of the London 2012 Games to a global audience. The facilities will utilise the latest wind and solar power generation technology and will feature high-streets, studios, offices and a range of innovative temporary features, all staffed by a 1000 strong workforce.

In legacy, Carillion Igloo plan to utilise what is being provided for the Games as much as possible to ensure sustainable development. The developer plans to transform the site in legacy into creative media workshops, studios and offices and residential uses. The MPC offices will be available for occupation by a range of companies from major news organisations to smaller pre and post production film, television and new media firms.

The new neighbourhood is being designed by the developer to deliver a vibrant new media/digital and creative industries quarter for London with studio space, high spec commercial offices, studio lofts, street cafes, shops, exciting public areas including pedestrian streets canal-side walkways and cycleways.

The overall masterplan and detailed uses and designs will be finalised in tandem with the London Development Agency’s (LDA) consultation on the Legacy Masterplan Framework plans for developing the Olympic Park legacy, which is currently being consulted on. The Framework will form an outline planning application for developing the Olympic Park site after the Games. It is part of a wider LDA-led regeneration strategy for the area which also takes into account social and economic regeneration. For more information about the consultation visit www.legacynow.co.uk

Tom Russell, Group Director for Olympic Legacy at the LDA, said: "The importance of the IBC/MPC project to our regeneration objectives cannot be overstated. In providing over £1m sq ft of high quality office and business floorspace, it will lead the economic revival of East London, attracting high quality businesses and jobs to the area. Much remains to be done to ensure that this potential is realised, but the appointment of Carillion Igloo is a significant milestone in this process.”

IBC/MPC facts

During the Games the facilities include three buildings totalling 1.3 million square feet, 1.3 times the size of Canary Wharf tower, and a multi-storey car park partly powered by roof-top wind turbines.

The Main Press Centre (MPC) and International Broadcast Centre (IBC) Head will be high-spec offices during the Games and in legacy.

The two storey 75,000 square metre IBC itself will form connected studio space during the Games and in legacy will be transformed into a network of mixed-use business facilities, shops and cafes connected by streets, walkways, river paths

The four storey 45,000 square metre Main Press Centre, providing over 100 private offices for written press and photographers, will feature solar panels that double as shades to manage light and heat in the building

During the Games the buildings will also include services such as restaurants, a bank, hair salon, general store post and courier services, as well as TV studios, workrooms and media conference rooms with simultaneous translation.

The legacy development will generate more than an estimated 8000 jobs.

The legacy ambition is to create a new hub for high-technology and media companies and professionals utilising the high-specification infrastructure installed for the Games and in legacy.

 

Arc Theatre group have teamed up with the ODA to run the ‘Play safe, stay safe’ programme

The 14 Primary schools participating are:

• South Rise Primary School - Greenwich
• Jubilee Primary School - Hackney
• Carpenters Primary School - Newham
• Lauriston Primary School - Hackney
• St Paul's Primary School - Tower Hamlets
• Halstow School - Newham - Greenwich
• Colegrave Primary School - Newham
• Bygrove Primary School – Tower Hamlets
• Gainsborough Primary School - Hackney
• Manorfield Primary School – Tower Hamlets
• Riverley Primary School – Waltham Forest
• Mayville Primary School – Waltham Forest
• Cann Hall Primary School – Waltham Forest
  

The ‘Play safe, stay safe’ programme has relevance to Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship at Key Stage 2 in Primary schools.

 

The new images were released as the planning application process for the venue gets underway.

The White Water Canoe Centre will be built in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire to host the canoe / kayak slalom events during the Olympic Games in 2012. After the Games, the venue will be developed to become a sporting and leisure facility for canoeing and white-water rafting, as well as a major competition venue for elite events. The Centre will be owned and managed by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, who own the land.

The planning application process for the White Water Canoe Centre is now underway following public consultation with local residents on the venue plans earlier this year. The venue planning application outlines images and details for:

• An international standard Canoe / Kayak Slalom Course – an Olympic standard 300m course, with a warm-up course and finish lake. A new artificial water body will be constructed and the white-water will be created through a system of pumps
• New parklands - the canoe course will be located within a wider parkland setting designed by leading landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA). The landscaping works will include path and bridge networks throughout the venue to facilitate spectator access and viewing
• A new facility building – designed by architects FaulknerBrowns and containing a reception, café, changing rooms, shop, offices, spectator viewing facilities, equipment storage and water pump/filtration facilities

David Higgins, ODA Chief Executive said: 'With the planning process underway we are firmly on-track to deliver the new world-class facilities at Broxbourne in good time for the Games. These plans have been created by leading architects and landscape designers and will help us deliver first-class facilities for the world’s best athletes in 2012 and leave the lasting legacy of a major leisure attraction for Broxbourne and the East of England region for many years to come.'

Chairman of the London Organising Committee Sebastian Coe said: 'Broxbourne will provide a world class venue for Games time and an excellent facility for elite athlete and community usage after the Games, living up to our promise of leaving a lasting legacy for sport. We look forward to seeing this exciting venue taking shape.'

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority said: 'We are delighted that a part of London 2012 is coming to Broxbourne. This is great news for the local area, the Eastern region and also for the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, which is proud to be involved in the development of this world class sporting facility. This site in the River Lee Country Park will be a fantastic venue for the White Water Canoe Centre. And beyond 2012, we are committed to delivering a major sporting and leisure attraction for this area – a true and lasting Olympic legacy.'

Richard Ellis, East of England Development Agency (EEDA) chair, said: 'The East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has worked closely with the Olympic Delivery Authority, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and Sport England East to ensure that the plans for this site go beyond the requirements of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. EEDA’s aim is to secure a lasting legacy from the Broxbourne site, the benefits of which will be a major boost for local communities and businesses in the region for years to come.'

Chris Matthews from landscape architects, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), said: 'We were thrilled to be involved in the landscaping design of this venue which presented the unique challenge of creating a mountain-stream environment in an existing flat landscape. Like the 2012 Games themselves, our designs for the venue go beyond sport - our vision was to create not only a world-class sports venue for 2012 and beyond, but also an exciting new park landscape, creating new wildlife habitats and becoming a visitors’ attraction in its own right. The new landscape will help encourage activity and interaction throughout the site, creating a vibrant new amenity for generations to come.'

Michael Hall from FaulknerBrowns Architects said: 'We are delighted to have been involved in the design of this world-class venue for the 2012 Games and legacy. The challenge has been to create a modern white water facility with its requirement for exciting but consistent high flows of water in a flat landscape. We have worked closely with landscape architects MVVA and engineers Cundall to create that all too rare fusion of landscape, engineering and architecture. Our designs for the venue facilities building have been conceived as a simple timber form which appears to float in the landscape from distant views. On approach, a masonry structure forms the entrance level which grows out of the landscape. This simple base contains the wet related facilities and is orientated to the boat launch area. At first floor the external timber decked terrace wraps up to form the indoor accommodation including cafe and offices and frames fantastic views over the course and wider landscape.'

The Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre will be built on what is currently the overflow car park for the Showground site of the River Lee Country Park, between Waltham Cross and Theobalds Grove stations.

The contract for construction companies to build the new venue and facilities is currently out to tender and is expected to be awarded in early 2009, with works starting in Spring 2009.

The venue is due to be completed for Games training and testing in 2010-11. During the Games, temporary seating will be installed around the venue for 12,000 spectators. After the Games, the spectator seating will be removed, and the venue will be developed into the Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre, creating a major leisure attraction for canoeing and white water rafting as well as a venue for future international competition.

Speaking at a Foundation for Science and Technology debate last night Mr Armitt made clear that legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was being delivered now.

The first phase of legacy, led by the ODA, is focused on the creation of the Olympic Park and the delivery of the venues, new infrastructure and transport improvements for the community that will work and play in the area after 2012. The second, led by the London Development Agency working with the ODA and legacy partners, is focused on the development of the park after the Games, the future use of the venues and the wider economic and social regeneration of the area.

John Armitt said: 'Legacy was at the heart of the London 2012 bid and remains firmly at the heart of the project. 75 pence in every pound we are spending is being invested in long term regeneration of east London. For example we are:

• Making good progress cleaning and cleaning a previously neglected, contaminated and disconnected area to create the largest new urban park in Europe for 150 years.
• Starting work ahead of schedule constructing world class sports venues for both the Games and community and elite use in legacy.
• Starting work building over 30 permanent bridges and 20km of roads as well as improving transport links to create one of the best connected parts of the capital.
• Installing a new energy and infrastructure network and cleaning and improving access to the waterways.
• Preparing to switch to new underground power cables so that later this year we can remove the electricity pylons that have been a historical barrier to the regeneration of the area.
• Providing training, employment and career development to local and previously unemployed people as well as opportunities for local businesses to win 2012 work.
  

'We are working closely with the LDA as they carry out widespread consultation with the communities that surround the Olympic Park, businesses and individuals about the long-term use of the park and venues after the games as well as the development of the land around the park. This will result in the LDA submitting an outline planning application for the park in legacy within a wider regeneration strategy.

'The investment in the regeneration of this area is not coming just from the public sector. Last week Westfield announced the green light on the £1.5 billion Stratford City retail-led development adjacent to the Olympic Park which underlines how the Games are a catalyst for change in the area.'

The ODA baseline budget is £6.090bn. Around 75p in every pound of the ODA's spending will leave lasting regeneration benefits to provide a legacy from London 2012, this includes the costs of:

• Other than the Games-time landscaping costs, all of the Site Platform and infrastructure costs. These works involve, for example, decontaminating, cleaning and landscaping the land, installing essential utilities, providing roads, bridges, canal walls etc, all of which would be necessary for regeneration of the area even if there were no Olympic Games
• The parts of the spend on venues, on the Olympic Park only, that will leave a long-term legacy asset
• The capital investment in improved transport links (though not the costs of operating the transport systems)
• The majority of the ODA’s contributions to the IBC/MPC, and to the Olympic Village
• A proportion of the costs of planning, managing, coordinating and protecting the works – through projects such as Master Planning, logistics, security and insurance – appropriate to the proportion of spend with regeneration benefit to the total spend

The LDA’s consultation on what should be developed on the Olympic site after the Games will form part of an overall economic, social and physical regeneration strategy for the Lower Lea Valley. This will include an outline planning application in summer 2009 which will set the framework for the development of new homes, parkland, schools, workspace, health and sporting facilities. For more information visit www.legacynow.co.uk

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today announced the contract award to Elyo, a subsidiary of SUEZ Energy Services, to build, finance, and operate the Energy Centres and Community Energy Networks for the Olympic Park and Stratford City. The contract award follows news that planning permission has now been secured for the Olympic Park Energy Centre.

SUEZ Energy Services, through its subsidiary Elyo, will build two Energy Centres, one in the west of the Olympic Park and the other within the Stratford City development, together with approximately 16km of Community Energy Networks. The new infrastructure will provide and distribute efficient heating and cooling systems across the Olympic Park and Stratford City for the Games and the legacy communities that will develop after 2012.

The ODA and Stratford City Development Limited (SCDL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Westfield, jointly tendered the contract for a 40-year concession agreement that will see SUEZ Energy Services invest more than £90 million in the Olympic Park and Stratford City development to finance the works. SUEZ Energy Services will recover their investment through the long term operation rights of the new infrastructure.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'The contract with the SUEZ Energy Services is a significant achievement and shows the power of the 2012 Games to generate substantial private sector investment into the Olympic Park and the long-term regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley.

'The Energy Centre will be at the heart of the new utilities networks in the Olympic Park, providing heating and cooling for the Games and to local communities in legacy. Sustainability runs right through this project and our energy centre plans will ensure the Games deliver the lasting legacy of a sustainable energy supply for this part of east London.'

John Burton, Director of Stratford City for Westfield, said: 'Westfield is striving to make the Stratford City development an exemplar project in its use of technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Positive steps such as this are fundamental to creating the right conditions for an environmentally responsible legacy. The centrepiece to achieving a long list of environmental objectives is the use of CCHP, which will provide 75 per cent of the electrical power consumption, achieving at least a 20 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.'

SUEZ Energy Services Chief Executive Jérôme Tolot said: 'Providing environmental and energy efficiency is at the heart of our business, and these energy centres will utilise ‘best in class’ technologies to achieve exemplary environmental performance and provide cost effective heating and cooling.

'With this 40-year concession our subsidiary Elyo is demonstrating a long term commitment to providing an innovative and sustainable solution to the East of London.'

The energy centres will use innovative technologies to support the ODA and SCDL’s commitment to using renewable energy and efficient energy systems, as well as demonstrating the SUEZ Group’s commitment to sustainable development. The Energy Centres will include a Combined Cooling Heat and Power (CCHP) plant that simultaneously produces heating, cooling, and electricity and will also be equipped with biomass boilers using sustainable biomass fuels and natural gas to generate heat. The technologies used will help ODA reach their target of 20 per cent reduction in C02 emissions through use of renewable energy.

Planning permission has now been secured for the Olympic Park Energy Centre and construction work will begin later in the summer to coincide with the start of work on the main venues in the Olympic Park. The Energy Centre design is sustainable and flexible to allow future technologies to be used within the centre as they are developed in years to come.

The energy centres have been being designed by John McAslan & Partners. Part of the utilities infrastructure will be housed within an existing building of historical interest at Kings Yard in the west of the Olympic Park which will be retained and renovated. This will be used to house the new biomass boilers and visitor’s centre.

 

Elyo is part of SUEZ Energy Services. As European leader in multitechnical services, SUEZ Energy Services offers global solutions for its customers in the industrial, infrastructure and tertiary sectors, from the design, realisation and maintenance of installations to energy and utilities management and long-term multitechnical management. SUEZ Energy Services employs 67,000 people and achieved revenues of EUR 11.3 billion in 2007. SUEZ Energy Services is one of the four business lines of SUEZ, the listed international industrial and services SUEZ Group. SUEZ is listed on the Brussels, Luxembourg, Paris and Zurich stock exchanges and is represented in the main international indices: CAC 40, BEL 20, DJ STOXX 50, DJ EURO STOXX 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe and ASPI Eurozone.

 

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has completed a 12 track railway sidings at Orient Way to the north of Stratford five weeks early and on budget. It replaces Thornton’s Field sidings in the heart of the Olympic Park, which is now being dismantled and will allow access for logistical vehicles for the construction of the Olympic Stadium.

During the Games, the path will then be used as one of the main pedestrian access points leading up to the Olympic Stadium.

Trains have been using Orient Way, project managed by the ODA and constructed by Balfour Beatty, since last month and progress is already being made on the dismantling of Thornton’s Field depot.

Balfour Beatty Rail Projects were responsible for the design and construction of the 12-road railway sidings at Orient Way. They installed over 5km of track to form the new sidings, covering the equivalent area to three full-size football pitches. The scope of works also included overhead line equipment, signalling, telecommunications, civils and associated works and the construction of a new welfare building adjacent to the sidings. 

Ninety-nine per cent of the demolition and site clearance waste from the Orient Way project was recycled. This included:

In addition, 3,250 yards of track was lifted and reused, which is equivalent to:

ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'The completion of Orient Way was imperative to the start of the stadium construction, and I am delighted that all delivery partners involved have completed this significant project five weeks early and on budget.'

Rail Minister Tom Harris said: 'We want to deliver a world class transport system for the Olympic games in four years time. It is very encouraging that the first piece of the infrastructure has been brought in by the ODA ahead of time and under budget.

'This is the beginning of a programme of work that will leave a long-term economic and transport legacy for London, the south-east and the rest of the UK.'

Balfour Beatty Group Managing Director, Manfred Leger said: 'We are extremely proud to have worked on this project for the Olympic Delivery Authority and to have been given the opportunity to continue our long-term work in creating a better London. We are delighted to be delivering the project to our usual high standard, making the sidings available five weeks ahead of schedule.'

Janet Goodland, Network Rail’s Director Network Development, said: 'Orient Way plays an important part in the Olympic Park development. Its early completion is a great achievement given the construction that was involved, and is testament to the dedication, commitment and team work of the rail industry partners.

'We are pleased to have been involved in such a high-profile project and look forward to seeing the Olympic facility take further shape over the coming months.'

Andrew Chivers, Managing Director, National Express East Anglia said: 'We have been pleased to work with the ODA and our rail industry partners on the successful transfer of the train stabling and light maintenance facilities for National Express East Anglia’s fleet of trains from Thornton’s Field, to the newly completed and modern base at Orient Way.

'The transition has gone extremely well and I am grateful to everyone involved with the project for their dedication and commitment in ensuring a seamless transfer to the new facility.'

 

Work has already started on the dismantling of Thonrton’s Field, which has been used as sidings for 80 years for trains leaving Liverpool Street station after the morning rush hour.

Orient Way is used by train operator National Express East Anglia for the stabling of trains which operate on the routes from Liverpool Street to destinations including Clacton, Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich and Southend

The pupils, from schools in the five Host Boroughs (Hackney, Lewisham, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest), worked alongside experts including photo-journalist Gideon Mendel, film director Pratibha Parmar and music director Mike Dixon to develop their talent and create works on the theme of 'My World' and 'Our World'.

During a day to unveil their work, pupils also had the chance to take part in other creative activities. They worked with writers and cartoonists to send postcards to young people in Palau, Azerbaijan, India, Brazil and Zambia to welcome them to their world. The postcards included reply section to encourage a dialogue and help young people around the world to learn from each other.

They also spent time thinking about how celebrate Paralympic Handover on 17 September. Young people in schools and colleges around the UK are being encouraged to mark the moment, when the Paralympic Games are officially handed over from Beijing to London.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee said: 'We want the London 2012 Education Programme to inspire young people to get involved in the Games and reach their potential, in whatever context that may be. As ‘Welcoming the World’ demonstrates, the London 2012 Games are not just about a fantastic summer of sport: increasing young people’s understanding of the creative and cultural components of the London 2012 Games is an important part of our work.' 

Construction began on the Olympic Stadium last month and will start on the Aquatics Centre ahead of schedule this month. Approximately 2,500 workers are on site at present, building to 4,000 at the end of the year.

The measures to increase the security and safety of the Olympic Park, which will be phased in during the course of this year, include:

• the replacement of the temporary hoardings that currently surround the Olympic Park with a more substantial perimeter fence starting later this year subject to planning consent.
• procurement of a security guarding service for the Olympic Park already underway.
• procurement of access control systems already underway, including a state of the art biometric system for quick identification checks, such as facial or hand shape recognition.

The perimeter fence, which will be fully in place ahead of the peak of construction activity in 2009, will be see-through and enable local people to watch the construction of the Olympic Park first hand. Parts will remain in Games time.

The fence design, which will shortly be submitted for planning permission, has been chosen to help ensure the security and safety of the Olympic Park workforce and the general public without imposing on the surrounding environment. The fence will be 3.6 metres high with a power topping section on top which will act as an effective deterrent but not present any danger to public health or wildlife. It will feature clear and prominent health and safety warning signs. Network Rail, for example, uses a similar solution for security critical facilities.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'As we enter the Big Build phase it is essential that we scale in robust and effective plans to ensure the security and safety of both the Olympic Park workforce – which will number around 9,000 at peak - and the surrounding communities.

'We are building on industry best practice to put the systems and technology in place to make sure that people with the appropriate training, equipment and authority can access the site efficiently.

'Given the size of the site and high profile of the project it is also important to have a perimeter fence that is an effective deterrent whilst also safe for the local community who live nearby.

'As the fence is installed in the coming months people will be able to watch first-hand the London 2012 venues coming out of the ground as construction starts.'

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Bryan, head of the Met's Olympic Security Directorate, said: 'The procurement of further measures to enhance security on the Olympic Park is very encouraging. This clearly demonstrates the ODA's commitment to ensure the safety and security of their workforce, local communities and visitors as well as minimising the risk of crime.'

The fence design has been chosen after consultation with security partners, including the Olympic Security Directorate.

The ODA hopes to appoint an access control systems contractor by the autumn with the systems up and running by early 2009, a security guarding service contractor in the summer ready to start work on site by the autumn and a vehicle and people screening contractor by the end of year ready to start work on site next year.

The ODA will shortly be issuing a contract notice for a package of perimeter security systems and functions

BP aims to support the Cultural Olympiad, building upon its long-standing and extensive arts, culture and education programmes. Through touring exhibitions and outreach programmes, it is hoped that these initiatives will provide opportunities to promote and support the Cultural Olympiad across the UK.

LOCOG Chairman Sebastian Coe welcomed the announcement: 'From the moment the Olympic flag is handed to London, the eyes of the world will be on the UK. So I am delighted that we have the best of British Companies joining us on our journey to 2012 to deliver a truly memorable Olympic and Paralympic Games.

'BP has a well established track record of supporting the expertise and passion of our creative and cultural industries, and I hope that we will be able to draw upon this for our four-year cultural programme, which aims to inextricably link sport, culture, community and education.'

Tony Hayward, Group Chief Executive of BP said: 'The Olympic movement is founded on a belief in human endeavour and high performance, attributes which are at the heart of BP’s own agenda. As the UK’s largest company with headquarters in London we want to support this momentous event which will also provide a unique opportunity to engage with our own large UK and global workforce, the millions of customers we serve each day and our existing partners in the arts, education and cultural arena.

'Between now and 2012 we will be increasingly targeting our marketing and social engagement activities to reflect the building excitement around the Cultural Olympiad and the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. We are looking forward to playing a significant part in making London 2012 the Games for everyone.'

• As it heads towards its £2bn budget for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LOCOG now has six Tier One Partners - Lloyds TSB (Banking and Insurance Partner), EDF Energy (Utilities Services Partner), adidas (Sportswear Partner), British Airways (Airline Partner), BT (Telecommunications Partner) and BP (Oil and Gas Partner) and one Tier Two supporter – Deloitte.
• The Worldwide Olympic Partners already signed up for 2012 are Coca-Cola, Atos Origin, GE, McDonalds, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa.
• The Cultural Olympiad for the London 2012 Games will be a four- year programme of cultural projects which will reach across the whole of the UK. There will be national and local projects which are inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and will celebrate the UK as a global nation. The programme is intended to unleash the creativity of young people, so that a real cultural legacy is built in the UK which will reach beyond the Games in 2012.

The BBC London report on Tuesday 1 July included claims that the roof of the venue, which will provide swimming and diving facilities currently unavailable in London, may be too complicated to be built and that a potential supplier is concerned about the materials being considered for the roof.

In fact the sweeping roof is an innovative steel structure with a striking and robust aluminium covering. The Zaha Hadid Architects led design team have worked closely with world class engineers Arup and the main contractor Balfour Beatty to finalise the construction plan for the roof, including maintenance access in legacy.

The team is currently considering different types of timber cladding for the internal ceiling of the venue and the sides of the roof supports. The timber selected will be tested over the next six to twelve months to ensure it works both for the Games and in legacy before installation in 2010.

ODA Aquatics Centre Project Sponsor John Nicholson said: 'We are on track to deliver an Aquatics Centre that forms a fantastic ‘gateway to the Games’ and in legacy new community and elite swimming and diving facilities that London currently lacks. The innovative building structure design is finalised and the contractor is on site and ready to start construction ahead of schedule this month. As is standard on any project we are progressing the detailed design development which includes considering a range of materials for particular elements, such as timber cladding. Materials will be thoroughly tested to ensure they work for both the Games and legacy.'

A Balfour Beatty spokesperson said: 'Considerable thought was given to developing the materials for the internal ceiling of the venue during the early design stages and this work is now benefiting further from the experience of Balfour Beatty and our strong ties with the supply chain. Our experienced team has engaged with the supply chain to develop the conceptual design and utilise their expertise to prepare construction information

 

The Zaha Hadid designed Aquatics Centre is located in the south of the Olympic Park and will be the main ‘Gateway into the Games’, hosting Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo finals and the swimming discipline of the Modern Pentathlon. The Aquatics Centre will have a capacity of 17,500 during the Games, reducing to a maximum of 2,500, with the ability to add 1000 for major events in legacy, and provide two 50m swimming pools and a diving pool, facilities that London does not have at present. Planning permission has been achieved and Balfour Beatty has recently been appointed to build the Aquatics Centre and huge land-bridge that forms the roof of the training pool and the main pedestrian access to the Olympic Park, construction work will start by the Beijing Games and be complete in 2011

The children are taking part in three weeks of archaeological activities organised by the Olympic Delivery Authority and the Museum of London on the Hackney Marshes as part of the ‘discover’ programme launched earlier this year.

As well as learning more about how the area has transformed over thousands of years the children will be able to examine clues to the past found on the site ranging from the Iron Age and Roman activities in the area to discoveries from recent times.

Archaeological investigations have been taking place on the Olympic Park ahead of the construction of the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Along with these community events, the year-long ‘discover’ project will give local people an insight into the fascinating past of the Olympic Park through talks and roadshows across the five Host Boroughs. More information on ‘discover’ is available at www.london2012.com/discover

In a visit to the ‘Discover’ event today ODA Chairman John Armitt said: 'London 2012 is transforming the Lower Lea Valley for future generations. The ‘Discover’ programme is a great opportunity for local young people to learn more about the past of their area as it becomes the parklands, venues, homes, waterways and employment space they will enjoy as a legacy of the Games.'

Archaeological finds around the Olympic Park site include four prehistoric skeletons buried in graves around an area of Iron Age settlement, a Roman coin, Roman river walls, Second World War gun emplacements and a complete 19 century boat used for hunting wild fowl on the lower River Lea. Archaeologists have also been charting the topography of the site to build a picture of how the land and waterways have developed and how climate change has affected the area.

Olympic Park timeline:

• 3000BC: wetlands which the early Londoners navigated by timber walkways to fish and hunt.
• 50AD: the Roman road ‘Ermine Street’ from London to Colchester crossed marshes
• Late 9th century – King Alfred reputedly dug Channelsea river to divert invading Vikings from the Thames on their way to London
• 1110: The first stone arch ‘bow’ bridge in Britain, gave the area its name
• 1135: Cistercian Abbey exploited Lea water power
• Late 12th century: Knights Templar water mill (Temple Mills)
• 17th/18th century: UK’s first calico printer and porcelain factory
• 1892: UK’s first petrol factory.
• 1858: The Northern Outfall Sewer constructed
• 1860: Plastic invented in the Lea Valley.
• 1876: Dry cleaning introduced to the UK.
• 1904: William Yardley cosmetics, soap and lavender factory