Olympic media centre re-fit to cost £100m

The eventual occupier of the £289m Olympic press and broadcast centre will have to spend at least £100m redeveloping it after the Games, it emerged today.

Duncan Innes, executive director of real estate at the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC), told the London Assembly today that the rebuilding of the press and broadcast centre after the Games will cost at least £100m for whichever firm wins the bid to run it for the next ten years.

The Legacy Company has shortlisted three proposals to run the 1 million ft² press and broadcast centre: a technology cluster iCITY; Oxylane Group’s sport village idea; and the UK Fashion Hub from a consortium led by Resolution and anchored by Brandboxx and Workspace Group.

Innes said: “There is a probably £100m investment in getting the buildings in shape for any of the [shortlisted] propositions.”

Questioned by London Assembly Members, Innes and the OPLC’s chief of design, Kathryn Firth, said the legacy company wanted the monolithic nature of the broadcast centre to addressed by the remodelling after the Games.

Firth said: “I think the building will not [remain a large white square]. Some of the bidders have said they will break down the mass of the big elephant that is the broadcast centre, and there are very good connectivity possibilities.

“We will set a series of design guidance that will be part of the package against which bids are assessed. There needs to be further articulation of that facade,” she said.

According to the OPLC’s executive director of infrastructure, Colin Naish, it has not yet been decided if the OPLC or the eventual operator will lead procurement of the construction work.