Clean up teams for Olympic Park site appointed

Over a million cubic metres of soil will be sorted and cleaned and many buildings demolished over the next few years, as the Olympic Park site in East London is prepared for the construction of Olympic venues.

The contract, co-funded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and the London Development Agency (LDA), has been awarded by the LDA to Edmund Nuttall Ltd and Galliford Try Plc. The contactors will be on site later this year.

The Park is located on a brownfield site with a history of industrial processes. The latest and most environmentally friendly techniques will be employed to clean up the land.

It is expected that up to 90 per cent of the soil treated and 60-80 per cent of materials from demolished buildings will be reused within the Park. The amount of bulk earthworks needed - where earth is moved around the site to create a development platform to build the venues on - has also been reduced by up to half following changes to the site masterplan announced last week.

Remediation techniques that will be used include bioremediation (using microorganisms that eat contaminants), soil washing and thermal desorption, where soil is cooked at 500 degrees to destroy harmful substances.

The reuse of treated soil and other materials underlines the commitment to environmental sustainability in the construction of the Park and will considerably reduce the impact on local residents.

ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: "This is another key milestone coming days after the announcement of the site masterplan.

"We are committed to sustainability and minimizing the disruption to local communities wherever possible. Maximizing the amount of material being reused on site means fewer lorries on local roads and reduced use of landfill sites.

"We have been very impressed with the proposals from the chosen contractors to facilitate local employment and training and we will be working with them to develop this."

Manny Lewis, Chief Executive of the LDA, said: "The appointment of the two main contractors is a major step forward in the creation of the Park for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Remediation of the site is also key not just for the Games but also for the long-term regeneration of the area."

Ian Parish, Project Director for Edmund Nuttall, said: "We are delighted to be awarded such a prestigious contract, and are keen to begin the design and delivery phase as soon as possible to play our part in creating a successful London Games."

Greg Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of Galliford Try, said: "Galliford Try's expertise in urban regeneration has been considerably strengthened by the track record and remediation skills secured with the acquisition of Morrison Construction. We are delighted to be playing our part in one of the largest remaining regeneration projects in London, with the partnership announced today providing long term work for our infrastructure division."

Ends

Notes to Editors

David Higgins and Gareth Blacker, director of development at the ODA, spoke at a Building magazine conference, Six Years and Counting, in Canary Wharf, East London, today where they made this announcement.

A further tier of specialist remediation contractors is in the process of being appointed.

Edmund Nuttall and Galliford Try Plc will start work later this year on a phased basis, working on parts of the Olympic Park site already under public authority control. The majority of their work will be concluded in 2008 to allow for construction of venues.

Soil and materials produced by demolition will be cleaned and sorted into its component parts including, stone, hardcore, sand and gravels in temporary remediation plants set up on site.

Around 250,000 cubic metres of soil is being produced by the tunneling process to put power cables underground across the Park, and will also be reused within the Park.

The Olympic Delivery Authority is a statutory corporation set up under the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006.

The London Development Agency is the Mayor's agency for business and jobs. The LDA prepares the Mayor's business plan for London and mobilises the support and resources of hundreds of partner organisations to help build a thriving economy for London's people, businesses and communities. The LDA is dedicated to improving sustainability, health and equality of opportunity for Londoners.

Edmund Nuttall Ltd is one of the UK's leading civil engineering contractors and an operating company of the European construction group BAM, Royal BAM Group. In the UK Nuttall has a civil engineering turnover in excess of £500 million and operates throughout the country from a network of regional centres.

Galliford Try is a major UK construction and housebuilding company. It provides construction services to a wide range of public and private sector clients and has a regional housebuilding business that specialises in individually designed developments. In March 2006 Galliford Try acquired Morrison Construction to form an enlarged group providing enhanced expertise to the infrastructure and building sectors

Media Enquiries

Contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on 020 3 2012 700

Contact the London Development Agency Press Office on 020 7954 4100