Sailing village handover
The sailing village which will house athletes for this year's Games has been handed over to London 2012.
Last Updated: 17/02/12 10:39am
The sailing village which will be home to athletes competing at this year's Games was handed over to London 2012.
Sir Keith Mills, London 2012's deputy chairman, took a tour around the Osprey Quay development in Weymouth and Portland and admitted he was glad that his original plans for the sailing village had been dumped.
"In the early days of the bid I was the idiot who came up with the idea of putting a ship out here in which the athletes could live," he told officials at the handover ceremony.
"I remember coming down here in 2003 when I was helping to run the bid and the idea of even having a village here was a glint in the eye. Now look at the quality of what has been built.
"I am very pleased to say that we made another choice to abandon that idea and have now got this amazing village which we are temporarily taking over from today."
The world got its first glimpse inside the village which sailors such as three-times champion Ben Ainslie plus team officials will call home during the Games.
Development
The Osprey Quay development, which will contain 84 residential units, will host 700 athletes and 550 officials during the Olympic Games. About half that number will use the accommodation during the Paralympic Games.
During the Games each house will host around eight athletes and have all facilities except a kitchen.
Athletes will eat in a temporary dining hall which will be constructed on the site and have a social area in the new Chesil Cove Foundation School of which London 2012 will take temporary ownership in May.
Sir Keith said: "In a few months time around 1,200 or so athletes and their coaches and trainers will start descending on this village.
"It will be a really buzzy hubby place. Olympic villages are amazing places. This is where the world will be focusing and I do not think they could have wished for a better home.
"These guys will have been training for many years for their country and where they live, stay and eat while they are preparing for their competition will be absolutely crucial.
"I think they will be over the moon when they see what has been created for them."
Transport
Transport improvements to get to Weymouth, along with investment in the sailing academy and accommodation standards are all legacy benefits from hosting the sailing competition at the south-west coastal venue, according to Sir Keith.
He also backed the idea that one day all the little roads and lanes around Weymouth might be renamed after Britain's sailing gold medallists.
Sir Keith said: "I think that is a great idea which I completely endorse. Ainslie Avenue sounds pretty good to me."
After the sailing competitions have finished this summer, the apartments will be converted into homes with 25% of the housing made available to a registered landlord for social housing needs.
All the residential units are low carbon with the heating and hot water for 58 of the homes coming from a biomass heating system and many of the houses are fitted with rainwater harvesting.
