Richard Rogers Partnership (RRP) has pulled out of the race to design the Olympic velopark and has ruled out involvement in any other large venues for the 2012 Games.

The firm, which originally bid for the velopark last year, said the design-and-build procurement route for the venues and a heavy workload meant it would not pitch for any high-profile schemes.

RRP had been shortlisted for a competition to design the velopark last year. The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) then decided to move the velodrome inside the Olympic park and retender the work.

A source at the firm said: “If the procurement process for the venues was different and if last year’s competition had gone through we may have been involved, but now we don’t think we will be.”

If the procurement process was different we may have been involved source at richard rogers partnership

The news will be a blow to the ODA, which is trying to reassure critics that design will be at the heart of the Games.

RRP has been linked to homes in the Olympic village. Developer First Base was recently confirmed as part of the preferred consortium for the village and is understood to be in talks with Rogers, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and Glen Howells.

• The ODA has invited proposals from parties interested in taking over the Olympic media centre after the Games are over.

Postscript

For more Olympics stories visit www.building.co.uk/2012

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