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£10m clinic for Newham shelved until after Games
Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent18.11.08
PLANS for a £10million community health centre to be built as part of the Olympic village have been shelved due to the credit crunch, the Standard has learned.
A super-surgery, or polyclinic, to serve the increasing population of Newham will not be built until after the Games.
The clinic has become the latest casualty of the funding crisis to hit the Olympic village. Australian developer Lend Lease has struggled to raise its share of the original £1billion cost of the project.
This has also seen the Olympic Delivery Authority slash one third of the planned apartments.
It said the long-term developer of the village would have a legal obligation under the "section 106" planning requirement to build the health centre at a minimum size of 2,800 square metres.
An ODA spokesperson said: "There remains a commitment to provide permanent healthcare facilities."
A spokeswoman for Newham PCT said they were "disappointed".
Reader views (5)
Would have thought that a clinic in the area would have been an ESSENTIAL requirement with the Olympics. Suppose the Red Cross and St Johns Brigade will be called in with their tents to back up any shortfalls (no disrespect to brilliant organisations). Oh what fun and how exciting for participants and visitors.
- Tony Islander, Herts
It's infuriating to see that no lessons have been learned from previous Olympics. Instead we have the same old story - disruptions and disturbance inflicted on deprived areas for the sake of 6 weeks of "sport" and a freebie for the Olympic "Family". The promised legacy for Newham and the other Boroughs of East London is being sacrificed for a national ego-trip that London does not need. Surely this money can be found to leave a proper community resource behind when the Games is over?
- De Xavia, Newham, London
They keep talking about spending our way out of recession - these Olympics give an opportunity to provide employment and a boost to the construction industry now and housing stock and a medical centre for the long term. Given the amount of money spent on saving the banks now is not the time to cut back on the cost of building the olympic buildings, particularly those items that will have an important part to play in the future (housing, medical centre). Whether we like it or not we have the olympics and it needs to be both a showcase for what the UK can do (not cut corners) and a boost to the local area (which in London terms has been ignored for many years).
- Andy, London
Another example of the lack of an Olympic legacy. The new Health Centre is needed whether or not there is an Olympics, but we have always been told that the Olympics would make things happen. Well they are not happening. There is no noticeable increase in jobs for local people, no increase or improvement in facilities, and increasing disruption as the building on the site progresses.
All the Olympics is achieving is junkets for Tessa Jowell, Seb Coe and Sir Robin Wales, whose already puffed up egos are near breaking point. I know it is too late to hand the games back but rather than stop the building of health centres to save money, why not stop the so called great and the good using the games to promoite their own agendas. That will easily save the £10m needed for the health centre.
- Bob Smith,, Newham, London
More like the Boris Crunch!
- Melvyn, Canvey Island, Essex
