London 2012 organisers unveil new era Olympic Park Masterplan

The London 2012 masterplan marks the first time that Olympic operations and post-Games legacy have been fully integrated at the outset of the planning process, providing a new model for the long-term use of Olympic venues. The new approach reflects the IOC's emphasis on sustainable use of Olympic venues by host cities and their communities as a lasting Games legacy.

The final Olympic Park masterplan optimises layout of venues for Olympic and Paralympic athletes and spectators at Games time, and improves location, access and use of the Park's facilities for London and the UK after the Games.

The revised design of the Olympic Park retains the key Olympic stadium, Aquatics Centre and Olympic Village venues while enabling hockey, cycling, including BMX, and tennis to form a major new sports and leisure hub for the local communities, for London and for the UK after the Games.

"This is an excellent achievement and gives us clarity and certainty to move to the next stage of development. We are also delighted that we are setting new standards and benchmarks for delivering the IOC's vision of a sustainable legacy not after the Games have ended, but right now.

"Six years out from hosting the Games, we have a compact and exciting site for the Games that works for the community after the Games have closed," said Sebastian Coe, London 2012 Olympic Games & Paralympic Games chairman.

"The masterplan integrates state-of-the art sports competition venues and living conditions for the world's best athletes in the Park at Games time with new community facilities and opportunities for young people after the Games," Coe said.

"The early completion of the masterplan is also testament to the close working relationship between all the stakeholders, especially our partnership with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA)."

"It is a major prize for the Olympic project to have a final site map for London 2012 at this stage, less than a year since Singapore. It means we have hit a major milestone" said ODA Chief Executive David Higgins.

"Detailed planning now is worth its weight in gold further down the track. This is a key building block for the project that allows us to move to the next stage of development from site design to venue and infrastructure design alongside securing the necessary planning permissions.

"It is imperative that Games and legacy are designed and planned hand in hand. When we say we want a culture of no white elephants we mean it. We will only make the most of all the different opportunities open to us if legacy is designed in at the start rather than being grafted on further down the process. That is precisely what we are doing."

The Olympic Park masterplan has been approved by the IOC and the relevant sports governing bodies and federations. Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the London 2012 Games, Denis Oswald, said: "The adjustments have been presented to us and we are happy to approve them on the basis that they are all common sense changes which optimise the original plans and, moreover, have been validated by the International Federations of the implicated sports."

As a result of the changes to the Olympic Park, volleyball will be relocated out of the park. Subject to IOC approval the sport will transfer to Earls Court, a move that is supported by the sport's governing body.

The use of Earls Court will also increase the number of existing venues with established transport links that will host Olympic sports in 2012.

More than 60 per cent of venues for the 2012 London Games already exist, including Lords, Horse Guards Parade, Wimbledon, Greenwich Park, ExCeL, which will host 6 Olympic sports, the new Wembley and Hyde Park.

The relocation of volleyball will open up space in the Olympic Park for athlete training facilities close to the Olympic Village and will enhance access and entry to the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre in the Park.

The key media venues will service approximately 20,000 accredited media from all regions of the world during the Games and provide a post-Games facility for new business and employment.

The masterplan will also enable Olympic Park venues to be used by elite disabled athletes in the Paralympic Games, reflecting integrated planning and operations for the world's two biggest multi sport events for the first time. Paralympic Tennis and Archery will be positioned together on the site vacated by the Velodrome.

The final masterplan also provides a central location for the sponsor hospitality site, which will include sweeping views of the Park for sponsor and partner companies and organisations helping to fund the cost of staging the Games as well as providing essential goods and services.

The masterplan reflects extensive legacy planning conducted by London 2012 organisers during the Bid to host the Games, in line with IOC requirements for candidate cities to submit detailed technical plans about proposed long-term use of Olympic venues.
Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said: "These innovative changes make the Olympic Park even better - a better home for the 2012 Games and an even stronger legacy in prospect for future generations.

"We are determined to ensure that legacy is at the heart of everything we do, whether it is delivering world class stadia or providing grassroots facilities designed to benefit the whole community."

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "As the world's stage for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games this careful reconfiguring of the Olympic Park to produce this final masterplan shows our commitment to organise the best ever Games for athletes and spectators alike. But it also shows how we are putting the lasting legacy for London and Londoners that the Games can deliver top of our agenda."


Colin Moynihan, BOA Chairman said: "The final Masterplan for the Olympic Park has addressed the fine balance required between facilities which must provide ease of access for our athletes during the Games, and those which are placed so that they leave a lasting legacy for sport post-2012. At every stage of the design process, the needs of the athletes who will be competing in London has been at the forefront of the decision making. To achieve an end-product which encompasses convenience for our athletes together with a long-term facility legacy was essential."

Mike Brace, President of the British Paralympic Association (BPA) said "We're delighted that the ambition of the London 2012 masterplan is for the Olympic Park venues to be fully accessible. It is vital that London serves the needs of the whole disabled sporting community allowing disabled spectators and competitors to enjoy both the Olympic and Paralympic Games"

- Ends -

For further information please contact the London 2012 press office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or the ODA press office on +44 (0)203 2012 700 or visit the website at www.london2012.com

Two items are available for download from the 2012 website:

1. A leaflet summarising the changes - http://www.london2012.org/en/news/publications/
2. A high-resolution map of the masterplan, which is available under 'Venue Maps'
http://www.london2012.org/en/news/press+room/Images/Imagestodownload/


NOTES TO EDITORS:

The masterplan process for the Olympic Park has been designed against the following five tests:

- Legacy / sustainability
- Deliverability
- Cost
- The Games experience
- Site design

The Main Changes

International Broadcast Centre and Media / Press Centre (IBC / MPC)

The IBC / MPC relocates from Stratford City Development land to a larger site in the North West corner of the Olympic Park at Hackney Wick - previously the site of two of the three western arenas. The land vacated at Stratford will be used for the sponsors' village and spectator services, allowing great views across the Park. Both the IBC / MPC will be permanent facilities in legacy mode. These buildings will be modified post Games to offer high quality workspace supporting London Borough of Hackney's development plans.

Volleyball

To accommodate this, and subject to IOC approval, Volleyball will move to Earls Court.

Basketball & Modern Pentathlon

The other temporary western arena, for basketball and the shooting and fencing disciplines of modern pentathlon, moves down to the current site of the fencing halls to the North of the Olympic Stadium. Moving Basketball provides a holding area for athletes for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. The Fencing Halls were not large enough for this

The western arena for Handball remains at the same location.

Fencing

Fencing moves to a new location adjacent to the Athletes Village and will be held in one hall rather than two.

Hockey

Hockey moves from the North East of the site to the North West next to the IBC / MPC. In legacy it will move North of the A12.

Cycling

The Velodrome and the BMX track move South of the A12 to the area previously planned for Hockey and Paralympic Tennis.

Paralympic Tennis and Archery

Paralympic Tennis and Archery move North of the A12 to the site vacated by the velodrome.

In legacy mode the facilities for Paralympic Tennis and Archery will be combined with the two Hockey pitches moved there post Games. This will form a tennis and hockey complex in Waltham Forest and offer the opportunity for a mix of other sporting facilities on this site which can be used by local people.