T
he Gamesmaker welcome is no more. The colour and cheer of the Olympic party left town a long time ago. The spotlight has gone and the Park is grey, damp and dirty. Thousands of traffic cones line the roads, and ugly perimeter fences protect each of the iconic venues. There is no burning torch or rings in sight. This part of east London is once again the biggest building site in the country and the pressure is back on to get the north part of what will be the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park open on July 27. And so Team Thames keeps running. The company has retained a core team of seven, all lead by John Hernon – a 35-year-old Manchester United fan who lives in Kingston and has worked for the company 12 years. His team remains inside this heavily restricted area of east London to assist with its transformation at the special request of new landlords, the London Legacy Development Corporation.
“THE PACE HAS PICKED UP. THERE IS SO MUCH WORK GOING ON AND THINGS ARE DEVELOPING QUICKLY ALL AROUND US” Like Games-time, they are on site to provide a rapid emergency response and, crucially, work with the Legacy Corporation and on-site contractors to ensure Thames Water’s property does not get damaged or compromised during the reincarnation. John, one of four Olympic Park hub managers in the summer, said: “It was incredible to be part of the development of the Olympic Park and Team Thames during the Games, and the first few months after were quite strange – with Locog exiting and the Legacy Corporation taking control. “However, the pace has really picked up again now and there is a huge drive to make sure the Park is ready to be reopened in July. We have a critical role to play and our input will help deliver this project on time. It has to be ready.”
‘Valuable part of team’
nis Legacy Corporation chief executive Den able valu a is es Tham m “Tea : Hone said part of our onsite team. There is a vast Queen amount of work to do before we get g sprin in open fully Park pic Elizabeth Olym to ss acce have to t grea it’s and 4 201 ing people who know the site and are work day and in day us with ting and co-opera out towards that deadline. “The new Park and venues will be a benchmark for sustainable water management. The parklands will be irrigated using harvested rainwater and non-potable water, and we will continue to work with Thames Water to optimise the use of the Old Ford Water Recycling for Plant and non-potable water network ing.” flush t toile irrigation and
12 | march 2013 www.thameswater.co.uk
John Hernon was left holding the Olympic baby
John said the team has built an excellent relationship with the Legacy Corporation and, following the gold medal performance during London 2012, want to make sure they continue to enhance the company’s image. “I always hoped I would be taking the legacy role on and so it was always in the back of my mind,” John said. “After the glamour, I guess I am the one left holding the baby. “The same rules apply though – if the Legacy Corporation are working on our land or around our assets we must be consulted.” The Riverside Hockey Arena is gone and is being replaced by new landscaping while the temporary stands are being removed from the Aquatics Centre – which poses its own deconstruction challenges. “There is so much work going on and things are developing quickly all around us,” John added. “We have a much smaller team but the same resilience work has to be done. We are still as busy. We have to stay on top of things and if there is anything we see we are not happy about we make sure we investigate.” John has been on the Park for 18 months, but site supervisor Shaun Dixon has seen it all. The 42-year-old from Chelmsford in Essex has spent the last six years watching the landscape evolve and his knowledge often proves invaluable. “I’ve seen it as barren land with two gypsy camps and a cafe, a building site, then an Olympic venue and now it’s back to being a building site again,” he said. “Contractors have been known to work over and around our assets without permission while we are on site – so you can image what
could happen if we were not here!.” He admits it is often Thames Water slamming on the brakes, but there is usually a sensible solution to enable the capital masterpiece to move forward and everybody is working well together to ensure the project is finished on time. “Things often need to happen tomorrow,” he said, “but we might have to say hold-up and help redesign plans. It’s what we have to do to protect the company and our customers.”
Key projects A number of new bridges will span Thames Water land containing the 42inch main pipe track. During construction the team needs to make sure upmost care is taken, operational permits are in place and leases agreed. The multimedia conference room was due to be taken down post Games as it over-spans a 600mm potable main. The team enhanced the resilience of the network in this area so it can stay – saving the legacy project a lot of money. Thousands of new trees are being planted on the Park and the team need to ensure roots don’t affect Thames Water assets and that they can still gain access to them once they mature. The Athletes’ Village, now called East Village, will become 2,800 flats and kitchens are now being retrospectively installed. Ted Reeves is making sure they all meet water regulations.