Latest plans for London 2012 VeloPark unveiled

The London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has released the latest designs the Games' VeloPark.

Situated in the north of the Olympic Park site, the VeloPark will include a 6000 seat Velodrome, which will host both the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic indoor track cycling events, as well as a BMX circuit for Olympic events.

After the Games, a road cycle circuit and mountain bike course will be added to create a legacy VeloPark that will combine cycling facilities across all disciplines in one cycling ‘hub'. The VeloPark will be linked into cycle routes across London, connecting the whole of the capital with the new world-class cycling facilities.

The designs include:

- a 6000 seat Velodrome - to host the Olympic and Paralympic indoor track cycling events in 2012, and be used by elite athletes and the local community after the Games. The legacy Velodrome will include a café and other facilities and the venue design includes a 360° concourse level offering fantastic views over the Olympic Park, and out to the London skyline

- a BMX circuit that will host Olympic events in 2012 and then be reconfigured for use by cyclists of all levels of ability after the Games

- a road cycle circuit - built after the Games, offering cyclists a one-mile circuit

- a mountain bike course - created after the Games, offering around a 6 km course with a range of mountain bike trails for riders of various abilities

A planning application for the VeloPark will be submitted later this month with construction work due to start on site in early 2009. The contract to build the Velodrome was awarded to ISG in May this year.

The launch of the latest plans for the London 2012 VeloPark follows the opening of the Redbridge Cycling Centre last month. The "state-of-the-art" UK£ 4,5 million (€ 5,6 million) centre was built by the London Development Agency (LDA) for community and competition use to replace the former Eastway Cycle Circuit.

The VeloPark design team are made up of:

- Hopkins Architects. Previous projects include the Mound Stand at Lords, Glyndebourne Opera House and the National Tennis Centre for the Lawn Tennis Association

- Expedition Engineering. Previous projects include Greenwich Wharf, Barcelona Bullring redevelopment, Stockton and Chiswick footbridges

- Environmental consultants BDSP. Previous projects include the National Assembly for Wales, 30 St. Mary's Axe and Mossbourne City Academy

- Landscape architects and masterplanners Grant Associates. Previous projects include the New Islington and Manchester Middlehaven Regeneration projects. The company is currently designing a Botanic Garden for the National Parks Board of Singapore.