Mayor issues direction to ensure rapid delivery of London Games

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has issued a statutory direction to Transport for London (TfL) and the London Development Agency (LDA) to do everything necessary to proceed with all early preparations for the London Games in 2012.

The direction by the Mayor comes as the LDA announces the selected contractor (J Murphy & Sons Limited) to construct twelve kilometres of tunnels to replace the overhead power lines that currently cross the Lower Lea Valley. The two tunnels will be 20 metres underground, one at 2.5m and the other 4m in diameter. The larger 4m tunnel is on the same scale as a London tube tunnel and will have its own monorail running down the centre for inspection and servicing.

The £70 million award (which is subject to finalising the contract) is the first stage in a £200 million project that will see more than 50 huge pylons - some higher than City Hall and which dominate the skyline - removed from the area. Their removal will free up over 40 hectares of land for development and therefore will be a crucial step in creating the Olympic Park and preparing the Lower Lea Valley for the 2012 Games.

The direction outlines further projects that TfL and the LDA must deliver which include:

• Site clearance, demolition and decontamination
• Ensuring Olympic input into the ongoing improvement of London Underground, the Docklands Light Railway and the East London Line
• Planning for upgrades to North London Line services, including increased frequency and train sizes
• Planning for improvements at West Ham station, to increase capacity and security for major events.

The main purpose of the Mayor's direction is to allow both TfL and the LDA to begin crucial work on preparations for the Games prior to the establishment of the Olympic Delivery Authority.

The Government introduced the London Olympics Bill shortly after the city was chosen as the venue for 2012. The Bill received its second reading in the Commons on 21 July, and it is hoped it will receive Royal assent by the first half of 2006. The Olympic Delivery Authority created by the Bill cannot fully begin operating until the Bill has become law.

The Mayor has also received clear assurances of Government funding, contributing to the delivery of these projects. This will come both from the Public Sector Funding Package agreed between the Mayor and the Government and from other identified costs underwritten by Government.

The Mayor said:

"My direction to TfL and the LDA paves the way for them to deliver all the early work to prepare for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and will ensure this work is fully underway well in advance of the establishment of the Olympic Delivery Authority. Together with the Government's reassurance that guarantees all the funding for these projects we are sending out a strong message that the work to prepare for a truly exceptional Games in London in 2012 has begun."

These projects will be delivered by TfL and the LDA under the supervision of an Olympic Delivery Group, ensuring a direct line into the Olympic Board which supervises the overall Olympic project and on which the Mayor sits. The approach has been agreed with all the stakeholders on the Olympic Board: the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, the British Olympic Association and the organising committee for the London 2012 Games (LOCOG). This contribution from the GLA Group in these early stages is critical to delivery of the Games.

Announcing the selected contractor for the power lines tunnel, newly-appointed chair of the LDA's Olympic Delivery Committee Lord Swraj Paul said: "Undergrounding these power lines is a huge project, creating tunnels equivalent to more than half the length of the Victoria Line. It will completely transform the feel of this area and underlines the tremendous impact that hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games will have on east London. Over the coming months, the LDA will continue working on the tendering process for other substantial contracts as it sets the foundations for the 2012 Games."

Tessa Jowell Olympics Minister said:

"Once again, within fifty days of London winning in Singapore, there is more proof that all those responsible for delivering the world's greatest event are doing just that - delivering. The London Olympics Bill is going through Parliament, the first lottery tickets to fund the Games have been sold and we have earmarked fresh money to develop the stars of the future. And now these announcements signal that the work is underway on the Olympic Park and the infrastructure improvements which are vital to a successful Games in seven years time."

Hugh Sumner, Director Olympic Transport at TfL said:

"Having led the development of a winning Olympic Transport Strategy, the team here will keep a sharp focus on the delivery of the transport needed for 2012. TfL is also building the transport team that will transfer to the ODA which will ensure that work goes on uninterrupted."

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of London 2012, said:

"Securing planning permission for the major developments within the new Olympic Park area during the bidding process was essential to enable work to start as soon as possible. The appointment of this tender within the first few weeks of winning the bid reinforces our resolve to move ahead with the project quickly. The undergrounding of pylons is an important part of the preparatory work for the Olympic Park. Delivering on the transport upgrades is equally important and we are on course to deliver the best Olympic and Paralympic Games ever in London in 2012."

Notes to editors:

1. The Mayor's directions are issued through a Mayor's Approval Form under his powers laid out under the Greater London Authority Act 1999
2. Under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 ("the Act") the Mayor has the power to do anything which he considers will further one or more of the principal purposes of the Authority. That includes the promotion in Greater London of economic development, wealth creation, social development and the improvement of the environment.
3. In agreeing that TfL and the LDA should continue developing interim projects in the transitional period stakeholders also agreed that new governance arrangements needed to be put in place to ensure the proper scrutiny of the use of public money during this transitional period. To that end, an enhanced Olympic Delivery Group has been set up which will provide assurance to stakeholders and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games that commitments are being made in such a way as to secure delivery of the candidate file and legacy commitments. On this basis, the funding stakeholders have provided the LDA and TfL with assurance that commitments reasonably made will be underwritten by the Public Sector Funding Package or other funding sources, and taken over by the ODA on its establishment.
4. The establishment of the Olympic Delivery Authority is subject to the passage of the London Olympics Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons on Thursday 21 July 2005.
5. J Murphy & Sons Limited is the parent company for all construction activities within the Murphy Group. The tunnelling work comprises two Cable Tunnels and associated shafts to replace existing overhead supplies. The tunnels will each be approximately 6km long - one at 2.5m diameter for EDF Energy, and the other at 4.0m diameter for National Grid.

Media enquiries for the Mayor:

Richard Brookes/Matthew Neylan in the Mayor's Press Office on 020 7983 6550, or Oliver Roberts at the London Development Agency on 020 7954 4206.

For out of hours media enquiries, please call 020 7983 4000.

Public enquiries: please call the Public Liaison Unit on 0207 593 9000