High quality design essential for successful Olympics bid

An imaginatively designed Olympic village and ancillary sports buildings are essential if the UK is to stand a fighting chance of hosting the Olympic Games in 2012, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has warned.

Following yesterday's announcement by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport that the government is giving the go-ahead for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, CABE stresses that the UK must invest in first-class facilities along with a high quality, well designed transport infrastructure if it is to demonstrate its commitment to making a successful bid.

Sir Stuart Lipton, CABE chairman, said: "For Britain to mount a serious bid we will require the very best facilities and sports venues. This is a great opportunity to set a benchmark for design quality in the Thames Gateway.

"In our view, a thoughtfully planned, designed and well-built Olympic village could be a powerful catalyst for the regeneration of the Thames Gateway, to attract economic investment, and to focus civic and national pride.

"We believe that only with major regeneration programmes that put high quality design at the heart of the process will we see an Olympic Games on UK shores," he said.