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CONTENTS 26.07-02.08.12
1100
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NewCivilEngineer
nec:
www.nce.CO.UKNew CivilEngineer
lst Floor,GreaterLondonHouse HampsteadRoad, LondonNWl 7EJ EDITORIALENQUIRIES Email: prefixplus@emap.com EDITOR1Antony Oliver (020) 7728 4541antony.oliver DEPUTYEDITOR1MarkHansford (020) 77284543 mark.hansford
CHIEFSUB EDITOR1Andy Bolton (020) 7728 4537andy.bolton
NEWS EDITOR1Alexandra Wynne (020) 77284540 alexandra.wynne
DESIGNER1James McCarthy (020) 7728 4536 james.mccarthy
REPORTER1Declan Lynch (020) 77284546 declan.lynch
SPECIALISTWRITER1Margo Cole (020) 7728 4552 margo.cole ADVERTISING
DISPLAY ADVERTISING1F.rancisBarham
(020) 7728 4525
RECRUITMENT 1Jonathan Snowden
(020) 77283829
.nce.co.uk 1 26.07-02.08.12 NEWCIVILENGINEER3
Thenextedition of NCEwill bepublishedon 9 August
05
NEWS
Reador concerns
Delaysaffecting a new Finnish plant could impact on Hinkley
10 ANALYSIS Business
A booming mining industry could enrieh civil engineering
20
COVERSTORY Tramspolting
Edinburghis in the finalstages of deliveringa long-delayedproject
Alsoin thisissue
06 News
Highways Agency changes maintenance bid criteria
24
Graduate Awards Our annual hunt for the UK'sbest starts here
07 News
Embankment probe after Beaminster landslip
12 Letters
Water, new nuclear, 2012 Games, apprentices
26 ICE
Councileuts subscriptions as inflationrate fails 32 Spotlight
The benefits of investing in utility mapping
ENTERNOW
INTERNATIONALTUNNEWNGAWARDS FORENTRYDETAILSGOJO WWW.TUNNEWNGAWARDS.OOM.
Comment
AntonyOliver
IIThe2012 Olympie Gamesarean exemplarforhowthe publicsedor deliversa qualityvisionontime andwithinbudget"
AnOlympianeffortourindustryshouldbeproud of
So after seven years of planning, design and construction the opening ceremony for the 2012London Olympic Games finally kicks off the month of sport.
And without question, thanks in no smail measure to the construction industry, the UK is in shape to deliver a show to remember - and, with a fair wind, could possibly even surpass Sydney to become the greatest Games ever.
There will of course, be many in the industry for whom the whole 2012experience has so far failed to engage, either socially,commer- cially or geographieaily - those who right now, reading this column, are already tearing up their NCEwith the cry of "1don't care".
Rather than feeling the excitement of the impending festival or seeing the legacy created across a swathe of once derelict and discarded land in east London, it is clear that to them and many others London 2012simply repre- sents another f9bn pumped into the already inflated South East.
And even among those who have directly benefited, there will be many in the construc- tion industry still smarting from the International Olympie Committee's (IOC) sponsorship rules preventing them from really shouting about their excellent work.
Work carried out across every field of civil engineering, from planning to design to management to construction.
Yet neither of these issues should be ailowed to detract from the fact that this next month reaily does - really must - represent some- thing special for the whole UK, sociaily as weIl as economieally.
As diseussed in NCEs Olympie special two weeks ago, the key to this success stems from the overarching ambition back in 2004 when the original bid was put before the IOC to create the most sustainable Games ever.
Notwithstanding the fact that it involves a huge amount of consumption to stage, the challenge has been to shift thinking in terms ofhow future events might be planned.
Hence the huge emphasis on temporary venues where permanent had no future use.
Hence the foeus on building post-Games legacy into not only physieal assets but also the construction and operation and mainte- nance contracts.
Because the London 2012Games is more than just a month of sport. It is a blueprint for how nations should plan, prepare and deliver future Olympic events. It is an exemplar for how the public sector delivers a quality vision on time and within budget.
So my advice is simple - no matter where you live in the UK, make an effort over the next mont:tJ.to get a ticket, an Olympic Park entry pass or simply hang out around one of the capital's numerous big screens to share the experience.
London 2012is truly a once in a lifetime experience and one that has, and will, rely on civilengineering excellence to provide quality venues, transport, logisties and legacy.Enjoy it.
