New construction targets announced for London 2012

One year after the creation of the Olympic Delivery Authority, the targets to be achieved for the next stage of London 2012 have been launched.

ODA chief executive David Higgins and Organising Committee chair Seb Coe announced 10 'milestones' to be achieved before the end of the Beijing Olympics next year, when the Olympic flag comes to London.

Known collectively as the 'Demolish Dig Design' phase of the Olympic project, these are:

1) The majority of the site will be cleared and cleaned. Higgins said 75% of the site has been decontaminated already.

2) Power for the Olympic Park will be “set to switch underground”. 52 electricity pylons will be removed, with the cables moved underground. The first of the underground tunnels to carry the powerlines has already been completed.

3) The main temporary roads and bridges will be completed. Six temporary bridges will be built, with construction to start in Autumn 2007.

4) The installation of new water and energy systems will have started. Contracts for their installation and operation will be awarded in late Autumn 2007

5) The regeneration of the 8km of Olympic Park waterways will have started. Construction work on the river walls will begin later this year.

6) The regeneration of transport links in East London and Stratford will have started. The first of the new Javelin trains to run between Stratford and St Pancras will start testing in Summer 2007.

7) Construction work will have started on the main bridge from the aquatic centre to the stadium, and building work on the stadium itself will be imminent. The ODA’s timetable for the stadium is that designs will be completed in the summer; planning application will be completed by the end of 2007 and permission granted in the first half of 2008. In the summer of 2008, the contractor will take possession of the site.

8) Construction of the Olympic Village will have started. The ODA has signed a memorandum of agreement with developers Lend Lease and Westfield, with legal agreement expected in late May, a planning decision anticipated in the Autumn, and construction starting next year.

9) Contracts let and designs agreed for the “Big Four” venues. The first of the four is dealt with in milestone 7 (above) but the ODA are expecting a shortlist of contractors for the Aquatics Centre in a few weeks, with appointment at the end of the year; a design team appointed for the VeloPark by Summer 2007; and designs for the Media Centre to be complete by summer 2008.

10) Development of legacy masterplan will be “well advanced.” The Legacy Masterplan Framework is being written up, and the ODA says the first stage – “confirming a vision for the legacy and identifying options” for the park after the Games finishes – will be well underway by the time Beijing 2008 kicks off.

David Higgins said: “We want to be transparent and it is important we set ourselves milestones to achieve that.”

If the targets are achieved, construction for the main part of the Olympic site will be able to begin on or soon after August 24, 2008 – the final day of Beijing 2008.