London 2012 - Demolition work starts on Olympic Park site

Eton Manor has strong Olympic ties and a proud sporting heritage as the base of the Eton Manor Association, a club with famous sporting members founded in 1907.

Part of the running track used for the 1948 Olympic Games was transferred here after the Games and is buried underneath the site. The first athletics meeting in the UK post World War II was also held at Eton Manor.

Eton Manor Clubs moved out of the area over 25 years ago and, despite efforts by the operators, Lea Valley Parks, to encourage use of the area and the sports hall since 1975, poor transport links meant that the sports hall was forced to close in 2001.

The site is now overgrown and disused and the sports hall has become dilapidated and vandalised.

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.

London 2012 Organising Committee Chairman Sebastian Coe said:

"This is another significant event for London 2012. Today we begin our site demolition by knocking down an old derelict building, and ultimately replacing it with state of the art sports facilities for Londoners to use and enjoy for generations to come.

"We have made excellent progress on the Olympic Park site this year, and this is another important landmark for us on the road to delivering a memorable Olympic Games and Paralympic Games."

Olympic Delivery Authority Acting Chairman Sir Roy McNulty said:

"Today marks the start of a new sporting dawn for Eton Manor. We will be preserving the proud sporting heritage of this area by knocking down crumbling, disused facilities and replacing them with state of the art sporting venues that will be at the heart of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

"The new facilities we will build, along with the new bridges better linking them into the local community and new walking and cycling routes, will mean that London 2012 will leave a significant sporting legacy in the north of the Olympic Park for generations to come.

"We are planning Games and legacy together now to ensure we only build permanent venues if there is a long term legacy use."

Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell said:

"The beginning of the demolition on site is another important milestone met and underlines the excellent progress we have made to date on the preparation of the land that will comprise the Olympic park – a fact recognised recently by the IOC.

"But it is also an example of our Olympic ambitions – the regeneration of a derelict and unused piece of land and a legacy of world class sporting facilities, not just for our elite athletes but for the whole community. This is the power of the Games: a once in a lifetime to opportunity to affect the lives of millions for the better."

Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone said:
"Today marks a milestone towards our goal of leaving a lasting legacy of regeneration and modern sports facilities that will be used long after the Games are over.

"The new state of the art sporting facilities in Eton Manor will leave a significant sporting legacy for people throughout East London for generations to come."

Waltham Forest Council's Leader, Cllr Clyde Loakes, said:

"This demolition work marks the beginning of the transformation of Waltham Forest as a host borough for the 2012 games. I am very pleased that plans for this site are moving forward."

Waltham Forest Council Cabinet member for Enterprise and Investment, Cllr Terry Wheeler, said:

"The construction of this building will act as a catalyst for the transformation of Waltham Forest both before and after the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The benefits we will gain in this borough are enormous, and will have a major impact on sporting provision, our economy, jobs and so much more.

"In 2012 the eyes of the world will be on this borough. Our job is to ensure that we make the most of the opportunities that the Games will give us in order to ensure everyone in this borough can benefit from hosting the world's greatest sporting event."

British Paralympic Association Chief Executive Phil Lane said:

"The London 2012 Games will undoubtedly provide a spectacular opportunity for the Paralympic Movement and we are delighted to see such early progress in the delivery of key Paralympic competition venues."

Fred Spencer, Secretary of the Eton Manor Association, said:

"Eton Manor has a proud history of supporting Olympic sport. The site is where the Wembley Stadium athletics track for the London 1948 Olympic Games was dug up and relocated, and we are proud the area is again finding itself at the heart of the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games."

In legacy the Eton Manor site will provide a state of the art indoor and outdoor tennis and hockey centre. The road cycle circuit and mountain biking forming part of the VeloPark will extend into Eton Manor, providing a cluster of sporting facilities.

Demolition and clearance is starting now to allow site use for logistics for wider park construction. As the site is critical for the logistics of the wider park construction, the actual venue construction is purposely been programmed near the end of the overall Olympic Delivery programme. Construction of the venue will not occur until Q4 2009.

Notes to Editors

1. The site was formally owned by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) and sits in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

2. Eton Manor is named after a charitable trust set up in the 1880s to provide recreational activities for the youth of Hackney Wick. Eton Mission Boy’s Club and Old Boy’s Club became jointly known as the Eton Manor Clubs when they moved to a clubhouse on the Eton Manor site in July 1913. This clubhouse was demolished in the 1960s. Leyton Orient Football club and the Eton Manor Cricket Club both previously used facilities on the site. Ex members of the Clubs are now part of the Eton Manor Association.

3. In Olympic mode it will be used as a training site for athletes, a stones throw from the Olympic village. There will be 4 Olympic size swimming pools, tennis courts and a training venue for all gymnastics discipines.

4. In Paralympic mode the site will accommodate 13 Paralympic Tennis competition and warm up courts and the Paralympic Archery competition venue.

5. Work is starting early on this site as in the run up to the Games it will be used as a major logistics area, helping planning across the rest of the site.

6. Biographies of the three Paralympic archers:

Kathy Critchlow-Smith:
Kathy has been shooting for 20 years. She has won 15 international medals including four Paralympic medals, and was World Champion in 1998 (W2 class. She has represented GB in four Paralympic Games - Barcelona in 1992 (5th place), Atlanta in 1996 (team bronze), Sydney (team silver and individual silver), Athens (team gold medal).

Danielle Brown:
Danielle is 18 and is a member of the Club Aire Valley Archers. She was Junior Indoor National Champion in 2004 & 2005 and represented GB in the European Paralympic Championships in 2006. She came1st place in qualification round with a Final Position of 4th. Danielle also represented GB in the 2006 World Championships in Mexico.

John Cavanagh:
John is a European silver medal winner and has represented GB in two Paralympic Games, Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. In the latter, he set a new Paralympic Record in the elimination round, and achieved an individual gold medal.

Media Enquiries

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