Visionary Velopark Concept Taking Shape

 

News Posted: 21 November 2007

Images: Olympic Delivery Authority

Link - video vision of the Velodrome

 

British Cycling's recent National Council Meeting devoted a considerable amount of time to the subject of the Olympic & Paralympic Velopark and the legacy facilities for cycling. It was an inspirational and informative experience for all present, and one which brought a unanimous show of hands, when a spontaneous vote of support was proposed by British Cycling's President, Brian Cookson.

The centrepiece was a presentation from Richard Arnold of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), pictured right. Concentrating on the Olympic & Paralympic Velopark, it gave delegates a thorough update on the progress towards the building of a facility which he pointed out will be "unique, not just in this country, but internationally."

Chief Executive Peter King introduced Richard and summed up the expected impact of the Games when he said "It is such a massive opportunity that we have to give it the maximum attention we can. The Olympics will change the whole landscape of sport, not just in the South East but in the whole country."

Peter sits on the User Group Workshops team which is currently committed to 3 workshops working with the ODA on firming up the design for the Velopark and the legacy facilities. The workgroup consists of five representatives from the Eastway User Group (EUG), five from British Cycling, plus three off road experts agreed by both parties.

After an introduction from Peter, Richard began his presentation by reminding delegates that in Olympic mode, the Velopark will be part of the Olympic Park and will focus on the two Olympic cycling facilities, the Velodrome and the BMX track.

However, he said that, in terms of the Velopark, the Olympics were effectively the "house warming party" and that the "trick in all of this is the legacy and how we make it successful and make a multi-discipline facility working with all the cycling disciplines. It's all about working with our key stakeholders, with British Cycling and with wider cycling groups as well to get the right solution for 2012 and beyond."

An overview of how the Olympic Park Area will look

One major hurdle is now out of the way, following the selection of the architects, Hopkins, who will design the velodrome and the Velopark. Hopkins saw off some tough competition in an internationally run competition for the contract, and their sports portfolio, which includes the new Tennis centre at Roehampton and the Mound Stand at Lords Cricket Ground, suggests they are up to the challenge.

Richard was complimentary about the Hopkins bid, noting that their project team included a number of keen cyclists and that: "They were one team which really grasped the need to get facility right not just for the Olympics but also for legacy - they really tackled the issues which we had to face."

The velodrome will be a 6000 seater, both in Olympic and legacy guise, with a double layer of seating allowing event organisers to concentrate spectators in the lower tiers at meetings attracting smaller crowds. The building will be capped off with a distinctive double curved roof structure, referred to as a saddleback. Apparently it will be a very efficient structure. It certainly looks stunning.

Of course, the Velodrome and the Olympic BMX track are permanent, but both are only parts of the wider Velopark. And whilst it will act as a hub for all cycling activities on the site, post Games, with its changing rooms and cafes, it's those other facilities - the Road Circuit and the Mountain Biking - which have exercised the minds of planners and local cyclists alike in recent months.

Richard Arnold spent some time showing delegates a number of the options for the layout of the Road Circuit and mountain biking at the site in legacy form which are currently being discussed in the User Group Workshops.

Working closely with the ODA, the design team is developing new layouts, which have started to come a lot closer to the needs of the local cycling community. The new layouts were well received at the first User Group Workshop with helpful comments received and the ODA is now working with its design team to make further refinements.

Whilst the Road Circuit solution looks to be at hand, the solution to providing Mountain Biking provision on the site is a little further away. However, Richard was able to confirm that work is underway to look at employing a mix of trails with landscaping options likely to enable the building of a rolling profile, so it looks like a solution is possible. With three off-road experts playing a prominent role in the Velopark Steering Group, further progress is expected.

At the end of Richard Arnold's presentation, Peter King reaffirmed British Cycling's objections to the original plans for the Velopark and its limited on and off-road provision. But he also emphasised that the organisation were encouraged by the latest plans being discussed at the User Group Workshops and would continue to work through the Velopark Steering Group to ensure the best possible provision for cycling in the legacy facilities.

Richard then took questions from the floor on a range of subjects connected with the Velopark, during which he reassured delegates as to the long-term viability of the facilities - largely due to the Lea Valley Regional Park Authority taking control of the site after the Games and having a total commitment to cycling at site.

The limited parking provision at the site - 150 places actually at the velodrome, with a couple of hundred more within 10 minutes walk - was also raised. It means that, although competitors will be able to drive to the venue, all spectators will have to travel by Public transport. However, Richard made the fair points that London planning restrictions were unlikely ever to allow for big car parks and also that no spectator parking is the norm at many of the capital's biggest venues and that public transport to the site would be excellent.

Richard also clarified that the Road Circuit and mountain bike facilities would not be available immediately after the games, but reassured delegates that putting these in place should not take more than 9 months, that it was part of the ODA's responsibility to do this and that the Hog Hill facility would continue in use throughout this period. Indeed, it is anticipated that Hog Hill will become a permanent addition to the cycling facilities in the area.

Peter King wrapped up by updating delegates on the Hog Hill facility's development. Although the clearance of newts from the site remains a challenge, Peter confirmed that the Royal Docks facility, which opened at the weekend, will be available until Hog Hill comes on-line. A significant proportion of the Hog Hill site has been cleared and includes the area where the sports pavilion and car parking will be located. These, plus a Road Circuit of approximately 800m should be available by April of 2008.

British Cycling's South Eastern Region Chairman John Hawkridge concluded the discussions with some encouraging words of thanks to British Cycling and to Peter King in particular: "I'd like to say thank you to Peter for all his efforts and thank you to the national Board. I don't know if people appreciate this but British Cycling for the first time have taken on ownership of major facilities, once with Herne Hill and now with Royal Docks, giving us a degree of flexibility with the use of facilities which we so badly needed in the South East."

Dont't forget to check out the video vision of the Velodrome