Bidder selected for Commonwealth games development

Published on Tuesday 23 June 2009 17:04

A consortium which includes the designers of the Scottish Parliament building was today named as the preferred bidder to build the £300 million Commonwealth Games village.

City Legacy has been recommended to create the athletes' village for the 2014 Games in the east end of Glasgow.

The consortium includes architect firm RMJM, the team behind the controversial Parliament design, as well as developers and contractors CCG, Cruden, Mactaggart and Mickel, and WH Malcolm.

Glasgow City Council is expected to rubber-stamp the consortium as its preferred bidder during an executive committee meeting on Friday.

The project will employ 620 people and will end up providing accommodation for 8000 athletes and officials.

And about 1400 riverside homes will be built in Dalmarnock – as well as shopping and leisure facilities – through the project.

A 120-bed care home will also be built.

Work is planned to begin next year and will be completed six months before the Games start in 2014.

A spokesman for the consortium said: "This innovative project will not only showcase the new face of the east end of Glasgow to a worldwide audience during the Commonwealth Games, it will also transform Dalmarnock to become a much sought-after riverside residential area.

"The regeneration of the east end is a long-term objective of Glasgow City Council.

"The Commonwealth Games – and City Legacy's proposals – will act as a catalyst to create an excellent new neighbourhood with well-placed community facilities, attractive open spaces accessible to existing and new residents of the east end."

Glasgow council leader Steven Purcell said: "The athletes' village will be one of the most recognisable aspects of the legacy of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and certainly one of the most important. I am delighted to say that the process to identify a development partner attracted a number of absolutely outstanding masterplans.

"The construction of the athletes' village will create fantastic opportunities for local people and businesses to show the world what Glasgow can do."

Sports Minister Shona Robison said the recommendation is "an important milestone".

The athletes' village "will sustain jobs, regenerate the east end of Glasgow and contribute towards Scotland's economic recovery".