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Realising the Olympic dream

September 2005

Surveyors have already played a significant role in securing the Olympics for London, but the hard work has only just begun, as Chris Timm explains.

It was 12.46pm on Wednesday 6 July 2005 when Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), made his announcement, taking what seemed like an age to open the envelope and confirm that London would be the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games. Television pictures conveyed the unbridled delight of the UK's bid team in Singapore, euphoric Londoners in Trafalgar Square and delighted residents around Stratford in the east end of London. At the same time there was utter dismay and disbelief in Paris, as the favourites before the voting felt the shock of defeat. The announcement marked the end of two years of planning, presentations and lobbying, initially by nine bid cities and then, since June 2004, by five. For London the work now begins to turn those plans into reality. While many chartered surveyors have been involved in the preparation and promotion of the ultimately unsuccessful bids to stage the 2012 Games, and they will feel disappointment that their city didn't win, the advantage of a global profession is the fact that their valuable experience can now be harnessed and focused towards the successful delivery of the Olympic Games in London.

News and views

RICS has followed developments since the nine initial bid cities were confirmed. Its website (at www.rics.org/olympics2012) has showcased chartered surveyors' involvement in the bids to host the 2012 Games, in work on other Olympiads, and in staging other major sporting events, with the aim of highlighting the essential surveying work done behind the scenes to make such high-profile events successful.

The website has also examined and highlighted the opportunities, the planning processes, and the key individuals and organisations involved in each bid city. By liaising with BBC journalists, RICS sourced correspondents in each of the nine cities, who fed back monthly content. Some cities clearly had more to say than others, and it soon became apparent that the likes of Istanbul, Leipzig and Havana were not going to be serious contenders. For others, however, there was plenty to report, and a combination of regular news stories and feature articles clearly proved popular with visitors, the number of which peaked at 9,500 in August 2004.

Lord Coe: With our surveyors' expertise , London's Olympic bid would never have passed the starting line.

A central role

In July 2004 London bid chairman Lord Coe, while visiting the British archery team at Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Shropshire, spoke of the key role surveyors would play in the success of London's bid. Without their expertise an Olympic bid would never pass the starting line, let alone make a credible contender, he said. And one of the reasons our bid is so strong is because of the work and the contribution of chartered surveyors.

You can't have a bid without them because they offer so much expertise in so many areas vital to a bid campaign – from stadiums to transport and infrastructure. We need expertise in all areas, and in this particular field we have a team of people who are doing a fantastic job on behalf of the London 2012 campaign.

It was because of surveyors' wide-ranging expertise that James Bulley of Drivers Jonas was appointed as the bid's director of infrastructure. The work that James is doing is fantastic, said Coe. He's driving the legacy part of our bid and it's vital work. He's made a massive contribution so far, with more to come over the next 11 months, and it's commitment like that which will win in this bid.

Getting technical

The technical bid, or ‘bid book’, submitted to the IOC in November 2004 was a vital component in securing London's success. This 600-page document covered vital areas such as transport, sustainability, environment, legacy, economics, political support, public support and host broadcasters. As Lord Coe said: The whole bid process has changed so dramatically over the years, and believe me it's not about photo opportunities and publicity, it's about what goes on behind the scenes – the expertise in so many areas that helps deliver a dynamic technical bid.

Surveyors play a vital part in this process; I assure you, their contribution to putting the technical bid together is extremely important. It's vital we get it spot on. If we do, we have a fantastic chance of bringing the Olympics to London, and we'll have much to be thankful about the contribution made by chartered surveyors.

In the event, more than 100 chartered surveyors have been involved so far, working directly for the bid team, for the London Development Agency or for consultants who have provided valuable input on construction issues. Surveyors also worked on the planning application – one of the biggest ever submitted in the UK – on land acquisitions and the costing of new venues and transport projects. Chartered surveyors will be key to the Olympic Park project in east London, one of the biggest regeneration schemes in Europe.

Plan of action

Back in May 2004 general consensus put London in third place behind Paris and Madrid. The bid team had made a slow start, especially in terms of planning and infrastructure. However, as James Bulley said at the time: We've really accelerated our thinking, particularly in terms of transport planning. It's important that we get approval from the government for the comments we make in the bid book, which means we need to get all the agencies signed up.

A top-class group of experts was recruited to help. The Olympic Transport Strategy Team brought together all the interested parties in charge of the various methods of getting around the capital. Professor Tony Ridley of Imperial College was recruited for his experience in running metro systems around the world.

The venues also needed consideration, and not just the sporting ones. Tens of thousands of journalists and athletes have to be accommodated during the Games, and massive facilities are needed to service the print and broadcast media. The main press centres and international broadcast centres often cause headaches for organising committees, who don't know what to do with them once the Games are over. Such ‘legacy use’ is a key challenge for the London team. The main press centre is going to be a million square feet of space within a single building, said James Bulley, and we need to find the right legacy use for that post-Games. One of the scenarios being discussed is for it to be used as a facility for the film industry.

Other venues are less problematic. The athletes' village will revert to housing as part of the Stratford City development in East London – plans for which pre-dated the Olympic bid. The sports venues will provide top-class facilities for everyone from enthusiasts to professionals. And the international media will be housed in the many hotels in the Bloomsbury district, with a star-rating to suit every budget.

The voice of the membership

As soon as London was confirmed as one of the five shortlisted bid cities, the emphasis of the RICS website moved onto canvassing members for their views on three key areas that would ultimately decide the destination of the 2012 Games – transport, regeneration and legacy. The website provides these reports in full.

However some comments by members were particularly prophetic:

  • Timothy Lee of Lane Fox in London said: Transport is the vital key to success in any bid. Without persuading the IOC that we can do it and on time, we do not stand a chance. This is a national priority in terms of getting the job done and the cost, not just at the cost of Londoners.

  • Jason Binns of Henley Homes in London said: There are two important factors that must not be lost if the regeneration is to be sustained and a legacy created. First, it has to be masterplanned on the basis that the Games are there for two weeks only, but the area is there for seven years before that and for decades after. Second, despite the area's appearance, there are numerous thriving businesses and now an emerging residential district. These things need to be accommodated and encouraged so that the Olympic Park is not a sanitised, soulless place.

  • Tom Ashton of Countrywide Surveyors in London said: The legacy benefits of the London 2012 bid are potentially stronger than any other bid city. Much will depend on the IOC members' attitude to this and how much they value legacy overall.

Arguably it was the legacy factor above all others that swung the vote in London's favour. As one IOC member put it: While London has not yet built as many sports facilities as Paris, what's in its favour is that it's a truly multi-cultural city and, in terms of infrastructure, it has more to gain from the Games.

Opportunity knocks

The regeneration and construction opportunities that London 2012 provides will be the most wide ranging and exciting since the Second World War. Some projects would have taken place anyway, but these have almost certainly been brought forward by at least a generation. Physically, London will gravitate further eastwards, with gleaming new transport arteries, impressive sports stadiums, 14,000 new homes, thousands of new jobs and countless new facilities and amenities in the currently disadvantaged Lea Valley.

During the next seven years, in London and much further afield, RICS members will have a central role in shaping the new built environment; and the reputation and status of the profession will no doubt increase in line with the scale and pace of construction and development.