Lend Lease hands over delayed athletes' village plots to ODA

Lend Lease has finally handed over the delayed final two plots of the £700m athletes’ village to the Olympic Delivery Authority.

The plots, which were built by main contractor Galliford Try for construction manager Lend Lease, were hit by delays and payment disputes with subcontractors.

But the ODA confirmed Lend Lease hit the rearranged handover deadline of 12 December, which was postponed from the original deadline of 31 October.

Galliford Try – which was building plots N13 and N26, which together are worth £80m and represent 14 blocks and 423 units according to construction data company Barbour ABI – encountered difficulties on the project at an early stage.

The ODA said work on the plots was “temporarily stopped” shortly after construction began in summer 2010 to investigate an accident on the site, but added that nobody was injured.

The project then encountered further delays and was hit by payment disputes with subcontractors.

Sources close to the project said work on site had continued into the New Year, though this is understood to be on variations and snagging.

A spokesperson for the ODA said: “Excellent progress is being made on the Olympic Village, which remains on schedule to be completed and handed over to the London Organising Committee later this month [27 January].

“Sectional completion of the two blocks was achieved by the subcontractor on 12 December.”