Eton Manor

Olympic Delivery Authority

Temporary facilities for gymnastics, aquatics, athlete training, paralympic archery, and tennis events during the Olympic Games; the venues will be converted to a permanent hockey centre and tennis facilities after the Games. Designed by Stanton Williams.

We support the strong Legacy focus for Eton Manor and have been impressed by the project’s design development throughout our period of review. In relation to the current planning submission for the site in Olympic mode we believe the site diagram and architecture of the main sports centre are promising. We also support the more open landscape treatment for the southwest corner of the site, which should ensure views of the main Olympic Park to the south.

We welcome the recent changes made to the still indicative landscape including the more pragmatic spatial arrangement for the central green space which, in our view, creates greater definition for the routes and spaces around the wind turbine. We are pleased that a landscaping treatment with tree planting has been devised for the carparks as this will be important in securing an integrated look and feel for the site. The intention to provide a versatile area of landscaping next to the hockey pitch is also welcomed. We look forward to reviewing these specific elements and the wider landscape strategy when formally submitted as part of the Transformation planning application.

While not part of this planning application, the design of the 5a-side football clubhouse will need to be sensitively treated to achieve a coherent look and feel across the site, particularly as this building is situated at the site’s main point of arrival. As this element is being submitted as an outline application with the detailed design to be resolved at much later stage we believe some form of ongoing executive design guidance will be required. In light of the project’s programme complexities and staggered planning process, we recommend that the planning authority apply appropriate conditions to ensure a continuity of design thinking and commitment, throughout the project’s extensive delivery period.