Consultants fees on Hadid's aquatics centre could hit £40m

The architects, engineers and surveyors on the Olympics aquatics centre could be paid as much as £40m for their work on the building, it has emerged.

Media reports suggest the centre, which is anticipated to have a budget of more than £210m, has been hit by rising bills by consultants.

Firms working on the centre include Zaha Hadid, Arup, and S&P Architects. Balfour Beatty are in the final stages of negotiation to act as main contractor on the centre.

A source told the Evening Standard: “The key people fell in love with the design from an early stage. They talk of iconic designs, but the practicalities of making it work are proving very expensive.”

An ODA spokesperson said the budget would be confirmed when contract negotiations are complete.