EIS Feature In Legacy Plans

 

by James Skitt - 11.02.09

Legacy plans for the London 2012 Olympic site were unveiled this week, which will include an English Institute of Sport centre within the Olympic stadium after the Games.

The plans will also see the Olympic stadium, which will transition from 80,000 to 25,000 seats after the Games, retain a strong athletics legacy becoming a venue for domestic and international meetings as well as grass roots organised use and other events.

Tim Newenham, is responsible for high performance sport at the LDA in his role as Senior Project Manager in the Olympic Legacy Directorate, working from the English Institute of Sport (EIS). He told eis2win.co.uk “Without exception the sports I am liaising with are excited about having a presence on Olympic Park in legacy and intend to be part of it. It could well prove to be the main base for some sports. “For others, it might form part of a network of facilities, or a feeder into their national centre. I am working closely with colleagues from the LDA to fully brief sports and explore what the demand might be then inform the design of the facilities as part of the business planning process” he says.  

“At the moment there’s a plan A, plan B and plan C, with different contingencies being checked and challenged. What’s planned in terms of space should remain in the legacy for the stadium and will be there to provide the support services to sports as they require it” he adds.  

Other plans for the Olympic site, twice the size of Heathrow Terminal 5 built in half the time, include developing a new social infrastructure to include 10,000-12,000 new homes, along with new schools, nurseries and a health centre. But Newenham hopes to see a lasting sporting legacy in years to come.

“High performance sport co exists with community use, so there will be community sporting facilities as well as high performance ones” he says.

“I hope we can create a pathway on the Olympic site which can take you from your very first experience in sport right through to the Olympic level for generations to come.”