Public impressed by 2012 Olympics construction effort

Two-thirds of Britons are impressed by the construction industry’s delivery of London 2012 Olympic venues, a Populus poll for the Times newspaper has shown.

In the survey, 62% said that hosting the Olympics showed Britain could deliver large-scale projects on time and on budget, suggesting the industry may have laid to rest the bad reputation it gained after the Wembley stadium fiasco.

The news comes as Building launches its Building 2012 campaign to celebrate the industry’s greener, faster and smarter delivery of the 2012 games.

However, chairman of New London Architecture (NLA) Peter Murray warned in a letter to the Times today that construction firms involved in the London Olympics were being prevented from capitalising on the success of the project by the Olympic Delivery Authority’s draconian publicity rules.

Construction firms involved in 2012 projects have to abide by the London 2012 No Marketing Rights Protocol, which prohibits most marketing activity capitalising on the Games.

Murray wrote: “The wider commercial benefits to business will only occur if the architects, engineers, contractors and suppliers who helped deliver this success are able to shout about it to the world.

“The Olympic Delivery Authority did a brilliant job in completing the park at Stratford ahead of schedule.

“It now behoves the London 2012 Organising Committee (Locog) to ease up on its restrictions and allow those firms which have served them so well to garner some credit.”

The Populus survey also found widespread enthusiasm for the Games, with three quarters of respondents intending to get involved, either by attending an event in person, watching it on television or getting together with friends in public.

Half (51%) said that staging the Olympics will improve Britain’s standing.