The contract award for the Paralympic venue marks the last major contract to be awarded for the permanent legacy Olympic Park venues.

Eton Manor is on the former site of the Lee Valley Eastway Sports Centre, which was closed in 2001. The site will be transformed to provide a range of sporting facilities in the north of the Olympic Park and will have three main phases across Olympic, Paralympic and Legacy modes. During the Olympic Games it will house three Olympic-size swimming pools, one synchronised swimming pool and one water polo pool to be used for athlete training. During the Paralympic Games, it will host Wheelchair Tennis with temporary seating for 10,500 spectators.

The facilities will then be transformed after the Games to leave a legacy of new facilities including a hockey centre with two competition pitches, permanent seating and space to accommodate temporary spectator seating for major events, along with a tennis centre with four indoor and six outdoor courts, and five-a-side football pitches. The legacy facilities will be owned, funded and managed by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) and will create a wide of mix of sporting facilities for the local and regional community as well as elite athletes.

The construction contract for Eton Manor has now been awarded to Mansell Construction Services Ltd.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'The Eton Manor site is steeped in sporting history and our plans will help recapture this and regenerate the area with new facilities fit for the Games and generations to come. Securing a leading construction contractor is an important milestone for the Eton Manor project and maintains the good progress we are making across the Olympic Park as we enter our toughest year in the project.'

Sebastian Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: 'London 2012 is delivering its promises to stage the first integrated Olympic and Paralympic Games, and that is proven at the Olympic Park.

'Eton Manor will be a first class facility for the Wheelchair Tennis event during the Paralympic Games, as well as the aquatics training pools during the Olympic Games. It will also leave the legacy of a multi-purpose sports centre for community usage afterwards. It is the first time in the history of Paralympic tennis that a centre has been purpose-built for the Wheelchair Tennis event and it is an exciting time for everyone involved.'

Shaun Dawson, Chief Executive of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, said: 'Eton Manor will form a key part of the sporting hub in the north of Olympic Park, alongside the VeloPark. We are currently working on a sports development programme to ensure that in legacy Eton Manor will create a wide mix of sporting facilities for the local and regional community, schools, clubs and elite athletes.

'The hockey centre will be of national standing capable of hosting major international events as well as developing new talent while the tennis centre will offer a comprehensive tennis development programme in east London. We are working closely with the Tennis Foundation and national governing bodies to ensure our legacy plans support national sports programmes.'

Initial earthworks on the Eton Manor site will begin in the spring with the construction of the main sporting facilities due to begin in the summer. Sustainability is at the heart of London 2012 and the central facilities building at Eton Manor will have a ‘brown’ roof.

The design will also explore ways of conserving energy and reducing water consumption. The tennis court roof will have 35 bird boxes on for starlings, swifts, redstarts and sparrows. As well as the new sporting facilities, the ODA will also be building two new land bridges to better connect Eton Manor with the surrounding area.

Notes to editors:

1.      Images of the Eton Manor facilities can be downloaded from http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr129795835

2.      The Eton Manor venue and facilities have been designed by Stanton Williams
 
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For further information please contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on +44 (0)20 3 2012 700.

The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.

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