Olympic Stadium Transformation Costs Announced

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• Olympic Stadium Transformation Costs Announced

03 July 2015 | Updated 01 January 1970

Olympic Stadium transformation contracts have come to £272m and include the world's largest cantilevered roof and retractable seating to create a multi-use venue to be completed by 2016.

The stadium will host world class motorsport, athletics and five Rugby World Cup 2015 matches in the coming months before becoming home to West Ham United Football Club.

It will be the only stadium in the UK to meet UEFA Category 4 classification and be a fully compliant IAAF Category 1 athletics facility.

The costs were confirmed this week by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

Once fully open next year, the Stadium will be the centrepiece of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and at the heart of the most successful Games legacy in history, it is claimed. Alongside the other sporting venues, the Park itself and future developments such as ‘Olympicopolis’, the Stadium will help deliver millions of additional visitors to the area every year and will be part of a regeneration programme that will create an additional economic benefit to east London of well over £3 Billion, says the LLDC.

Roof

The stadium work included the removal of the original roof and light paddles and installation of a new permanent roof, the largest of its kind in the world. The 45,000sqm cantilevered roof needed significant strengthening of the superstructure to support the 8km of cable net, 112 steel rafters, 9,900 roof panels and 14 light paddles each weighing 45 tonnes. The new roof covers every seat in the venue, improving the acoustics and spectator experience.

Seating

A retractable seating system required the removal of the lower seating bowl. The 21,000 movable seats bring the fans close to the pitch for football and rugby. Other works included installing catering facilities, toilets and turnstiles, all of which were only temporary during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

David Goldstone, Chief Executive of the LLDC, said: “Alongside the transformation work the deals signed with British Athletics and West Ham United and the appointment of a stadium operator ensures the stadium will pay its way and not require any continuing subsidy from the taxpayer.”

Newham - deprived borough gets benefits and to see West Ham

Local school clubs will have year round access to the new floodlit 400m London Marathon Charitable Trust Community Track which will also be home to the Newham and Essex Beagles.

There will be ten exclusive mass participation events in the Stadium per year for Newham residents including the Morrison’s Great Newham London Run with over 2,000 free places for Newham residents.

There will be up to 100,000 free tickets every year for Newham residents to West Ham United matches.

There will be a training and education centre in the stadium.

Up to 75 per cent of jobs created at the stadium will go to Newham residents.

Contingency fund

With a significant amount of work still to do until the stadium opens in its permanent mode, the Legacy Corporation still holds a contingency fund, which is not included in the costs announced. Once the transformation of the stadium is complete it will not require continuous subsidy from the taxpayer and will see a return to the taxpayer through future profits due to the agreements in place with the operator VINCI and concessionaires West Ham United and UK Athletics.

Picture: A computer generated image of the finished stadium.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 03 July 2015

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