Morrison wins Olympic canoe contract

Morrison Construction has paddled away from four rivals to win the Olympic White Water Canoe Centre contract for the London 2012 Games.

Work on the site in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire will start in June after Morrision fought-off competition from Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Edmund Nuttall and Fitzpatrick.

The centre will host the canoe slalom events during the Games and after will be developed to become a sporting and leisure facility for canoeing and white-water rafting, as well as a major competition venue for elite events.

Olympic Delivery Authority chairman John Armitt said: "Securing a leading contractor for Broxbourne is an important step towards delivering first-class facilities for the world’s best athletes in 2012 and leaving the lasting legacy of a major leisure attraction for many years to come."

The Broxbourne White Water Canoe Centre will be built on what is currently the overflow car park for the showground site of the River Lee Country Park, between Waltham Cross and Theobalds Grove stations.

Construction of the venue includes:

Creation of an Olympic standard 300m course, warm-up course and finish lake

Land Formation – Placement and compaction of fill to form the course embankments and landscaped features of the venue

Facility building and Pumping House – Construction of a new facility building, containing reception, café, changing rooms, admin offices, spectator viewing facilities, storage, and water pump/filtration plant

Landscaping Works – Landscaping works with path and bridge networks throughout the venue to facilitate spectator viewing and access