REPRINTED
FROM Sports
Management 2007 Q1
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Building a relationship with Tessa Jowell’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport is key
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We have managed to pick up the pieces and now we have an Olympic Games and this wonderful athletics facility at Picketts Lock
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PROFILE: Lee Valley Athletics Centre
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LVAC is the latest in a series of athletics High Performance Centres (HiPAC) across the country. Designed with the needs of elite athletes at its heart, it’s an impressive facility which is part of UK Athletics’ strategic plan for indoor athletics venues in greater London.
The main arena is a well-designed and comfortable space. The permanent banked 200m track, with jumps area and sprint straight in the centre, is slightly lowered from the reception and entrance, giving good views from the 500-seat gallery.
The sweeping roof is set quite low, creating a feeling of intimacy and seemingly bringing the action closer, while the glass paneling which makes up both end walls brings in natural light and prevents the feel of enclosure.
Set behind the main seating, a 130m practice sprint straight is on the upper level. Underneath is a comprehensive strength and conditioning suite, sports medicine treatment rooms and offices for UKA and EIS.
THE TEAM
CLIENT: Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
ARCHITECT: David Morley Architects
MAIN CONTRACTOR: Shepherd Construction
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Buro Happold
QUANTITY SURVEYOR: EC Harris
PLANNING SUPERVISOR: Gardiner & Theobald
THE FACILITY
• 200m, six-lane indoor track
• 60m, six-lane competition straight
• 130m practice straight
• comprehensive throwing cage, suitable for
all disciplines
• indoor permanent seating for 500
• 400m, eight-lane floodlit outdoor track
• outdoor covered seating for 350
• full indoor jumps provision
• strength and conditioning suite
• sports medicine facilities
• office space for UKA/EIS
• meeting rooms and clubhouse with bar
SELECTED SUBCONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS
Materials Science Consultants - sports consultancy. Schelde International – athletics equipment. Eleiko – freeweights, HiPower – gym equipment. Altro Mondo Sportflex – athletics surfaces. TimeTronics – timing system. Kalzip – aluminium roof deck. Kalsafe – fall arrest system for roof. Technal – curtain walling system, metal door and louvres. Kalwall – translucent structural sandwich panels. SH Structures – steel work. Dorma – glazed sliding doors and louvres. NBS Group – terracotta blockwork. Thorn, Concord, Zumtobel, Tamlite, Philips, Abacus, Bega, Marlin, Whitecroft – light fittings. Armitage Shanks – sanitary ware. Altro – vinyl safety floor.
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Elite athletes will benefit from the English Institute of Sport’s support services
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The indoor centre is a light and spacious area
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The new 400m outdoor track will be used regularly by Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club
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Shaun Dawson
We speak to the chief executive of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority about the organisation’s unique function, the Picketts Lock disappointment and delivering long-term benefits from the Olympics
“There are a couple of big anniversaries coming up at the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) this year – it’ll be the 40th anniversary of the park and my 10th,” Shaun Dawson says, joking: “There’ll be a big party!”
The last 10 years, since he joined LVRPA from the London Borough of Hackney, where he was assistant director of education and leisure, have thrown up some big moments.
The lows were plumbed by the loss of the 2005 IAAF World Championships and the major athletics stadium which was to be built to host them, only to reach the dizzying heights of being in Singapore when the bid for the Olympics was won, of which he says: “After getting married and the birth of my children, that was probably the third most emotional experience of my life.
“It was the most incredible moment and a wonderful sense of achievement, that all the hard work, the belief and the positive thinking had paid off.”
The LVRPA has a commitment to the delivery of leisure and sport at its heart that most local authority leisure directors can only dream of.
Formed after an act of Parliament in 1966, its remit was to reclaim, remediate and clean up what was then a derelict and contaminated river valley, and to create a 10,000-acre regional park.
Dawson explains: “It is part of our role to provide and encourage all forms of leisure – sport, recreation, cultural events – as well as manage and protect the environmental dimension – the country park, the nature reserves and so on.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“What makes LVRPA unique is that it is a statutory body, so all these responsibilities are not discretionary.
“We have significant powers to acquire land, and issue compulsory purchases on land, and of the 10,000-acre park, LVRPA owns 4,000 acres.”
Funding comes mainly from a levy of the London boroughs, Essex and Hertfordshire. Its gross budget this year was £16m, of which £11m comes from the taxpayers of the region through the levy and £5m was generated by activities in the park.
“In the last five years we have invested around £38m in capital projects, of which 38 per cent has come from external sources – levering investment from outside is absolutely crucial,” he says.
In recent years, Dawson explains, the regeneration agenda has become particularly signficant – a situation which is even more important in the light of 2012: “We have had a clear commitment to sports and leisure-led regeneration for a number of years. The development of sports and leisure opportunities in the park has been a key part of our strategy.”
Contrary to its name, he is quick to point out that the ‘park’ element should not imply a large green space and argues that commitment to the delivery of sport, leisure and active recreation requires a robust approach to the built environment. “Our remit includes the broader leisure and recreation elements. We have campsites and marinas, and a whole host of facilities with a broader leisure remit, like the ice centre and the horseriding centre.
“We also work to encourage partnerships with private operators in areas like five-a-side football or cinema.”
As a statutory planning consultee, LVRPA is able to keep a close eye on developments within its boundaries: “If a proposed development is on Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land, we will vigorously defend our position. We have, on occasion, had to refer to the secretary of state.”
Dawson says this gives the organisation leverage and a position from which to negotiate. “We had six acres of prime development land at Broxbourne, which we effectively exchanged for 200 acres of potential parkland, which had no development value at all. We lost six acres but gained 200 acres.”
This has been invaluable in playing a central role in the Olympic planning, he adds: “Owning the site where the white water canoe slalom course will be, and 100 acres of the Olympic Park, where the velodrome and BMX facility along with the tennis and hockey legacy elements will be, gives us influence.”
FACILITY HISTORY
The first piece of this facility jigsaw has already fallen into place and is the scene for our interview.
The Lee Valley Athletics Centre (LVAC) is a £16m indoor and outdoor athletics training and competition venue which completes UK Athletics’ network of similar facilities across greater London.
Had things been a little different, this centre might not have existed at all, instead a purpose-built athletics stadium, fresh from hosting the 2005 IAAF Athletics World Championships, would have sat proudly on the site.
Dawson can afford to be philosophical since winning the world’s greatest ‘booby prize’ but, he admits that at the time: “We were all very disappointed. A lot of work, energy and expertise had gone into taking the project so far and we were all very excited about the prospect of the Championships coming here.”
Of course it is a matter of some irony that had the commitment to the 2005 World Championships been honoured, it almost certainly would have meant that the bid for the Olympics would not have been mounted. However, Dawson goes further, and suggests that without the World Championships debacle, Britain might not have won the Olympic bid. “It’s important to recognise the part that disappointment played in delivering the Olympics. Lessons were learned – by the government and other agencies, including ourselves, which stood us in good stead.
“When it came to the Olympic bid there really was no holding back – a greater effort and a recognition of what had gone wrong with the athletics stadium process ensured that we didn’t make similar mistakes. That certainly helped to deliver the Olympic success.
“I think the important thing is that even if something like that happens, you sit down, as we did with the government, Sport England and UK Athletics, to ensure that the legacy element was saved.
“We have managed to pick up the pieces and now we have an Olympic Games and this wonderful athletics facility here at Picketts Lock. So on reflection, we are in a very healthy position as a nation, as a capital and as an organisation.”
MULTI-LEVEL DELIVERY
Dawson says he is keen to ensure the centre is accessed by a wide variety of users: “It needs to work at a number of levels – because we are funded by the region’s tax payers, we need to ensure that it reaches out and benefits the community beyond a local catchment.
“But at the same time, we recognise that there is a local community which needs to feel the benefits too. So we must ensure that we are delivering on a national, regional and local level.
“This year’s events programme already includes the South of England Combined Events, the Inter City Challenge, the UK Womens’ League and British Masters and the Enfield Schools League, which will be held here, plus a host of sports days for local schools in the summer.
“It will be the home of the Enfield and Haringey Athletics Club too of course. I think all this reflects that wide commitment.
“We need to get our outreach programme right to get out and spread the word and make sure people know about the centre and make sure that it’s accessible and the pricing policy is right.”
ELITE PERFORMANCE
At its core though, this is an elite training facility, Dawson says: “It is athlete-centred. Elite athletes have got to come here and feel like they are being looked after, in terms of the support, injuries, sports science, physiotherapy and the facilities themselves.
“We had a soft opening before Christmas, with a view to working with the athletes and getting their involvement. Jade Johnson, the long jumper, and Phillips Idowu, the triple jumper, have both been in.”
He stresses that although it may now play a valuable part in the Olympic preparation and training programme, LVAC predates the Olympic bid and was always part of a wider plan. “This high performance (HiPAC) centre is part of UK Athletics’ indoor strategy for London – it’s a jewel in their crown to add to their other indoor facilities including Brunel and Sutton, so this scheme was always a key part of their indoor plans for north London.
“We have worked very closely with UKA, as the primary client. They will have teams working from their offices here, as well as the English Institute of Sport (EIS) which will be providing support for athletes from many sports in the region.
“So we are not working in reverse. Of course, now it is in place, it will have an important part to play in helping train our athletes for Beijing, London and beyond.
“The timing has been perfect for London 2012, be that for our own athletes here or for overseas squads coming to train. So it’s a very important part of the Olympic equation, although it wasn’t planned with the Olympics in mind.”
LEGACY MANAGEMENT
The LVRPA has taken the decision to manage LVAC itself, as part of a medium term strategy which will see it take on the running of the Olympic white water centre, the BMX and cycling facilities and the hockey centre in legacy mode – a challenge Dawson calls “very exciting.”
He continues: “We have a top operational team here. We have built LVAC on time and on budget and we are geared up for the next level.”
However, because LVRPA will be responsible for making these facilities commercially viable, he has a particular interest in the ongoing debate over sustainability.
“There were always plans for a white water centre and an athletics facility and a velodrome. The Olympics has presented the chance to develop on a larger scale, and sooner than expected, but we won’t lose sight of our objectives.
“We are very much alongside the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) in driving this agenda, because it will be our responsibility to ensure that it’s a viable, sustainable, long-term legacy that delivers across a whole range of areas.
“We have made that clear and have been promoting that role with the Olympic agencies. We are working very closely with the ODA, the government and the Mayor’s Office and we are all asking how it will work as an entity. How will it all mix together? How will it evolve over time?
To put it in context, a programme called Vision 2025 has just been launched in Sydney, to push the development of the Olympic Park through to 25 years after it hosted the Games – that’s the kind of timescale we’re talking about.”
He is well aware of the risk of the three-week event potentially ‘hijacking’ the plans for sustainable, community-accessible facilities and stresses that plans are well underway: “We’ve been doing our homework. The white water centre is a good example. We have been out to the Penrith centre in Sydney. It’s a vibrant, popular, attractive site and the white water rafting is fantastic.
“But they failed to include a legacy loop, which excludes young people, those at a lower level and those with disabilities.
“We are making sure, with other partners, like Sport England, the Regional Development Agency and the British Canoe Union, that the long-term legacy is built in now and not an after-thought. That entails the design of the circuit, with the legacy loop, but also accommodation – changing areas, classroom areas and catering.
“The Olympics needs a lot of temporary overlay and the legacy requires some permanent facilities that aren’t necessary for the Games. But we need to make sure that the planning and funding is in place now.”
With regard to the current debate over the escalating costs of the Games, he says: “Clearly our concern in all of this is to see that the budgets allocated to the venues that we are involved with are safeguarded. So that’s where our interest lies.
“But we are mindful of the duty that’s incumbent on us all to get maximum value for every pound of taxpayer’s money. If there are pressures on the budget, we all have to be disciplined to achieve the best we can.”
He accepts that ultimately it will be the general public who are the arbiters when it comes to the long-term value of the Games: “The great challenge is making connections with people. It’s saying, ‘Geographically, this might not be in your neck of the woods, but it’s relevant, it’s something you don’t have and it will make a difference. Whether it’s for a school, community group or a sports club, these facilities will give experiences they simply couldn’t get elsewhere.
“It’s our job to communicate, make those connections and facilitate access, to ensure that the benefits are far reaching.”
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