Changes planned to over-budget Commonwealth Games Athlete’s Village
The replacement of a block of flats with 18 town houses is just one of several alterations to the Commonwealth Games Athlete’s Village being proposed by planners.
Further changes include the redesign of two apartment blocks to allow for extra accommodation.
The village, which will provide accommodation for the 6,500 athletes during the 2022 Games before being converted into residential housing, is set to offer more than 1,400 homes to local people.
However it has been the subject of much controversy in recent weeks, with the council admitting that the development would cost more than the original estimate of £492.6m.
The final cost of the village is expected to be announced next week, and there are several changes being proposed to the development ahead of that announcement.
The most notable of these is the ditching of a number of apartments on one of the main plots on the site in return for the construction of 18 ‘townhouses’ which will be completed after the Games has concluded.
Such an alteration was possible, planning documents say, due to the increased provision of apartments on other areas of the site, such as plots 8 and 9.
In the new image provided by developers, the two buildings on these plots have been almost entirely redesigned, with plot 8 increasing from 162 to 217 one and two-bed apartments and plot 9 from 176 to 213. The changes do, however, mean the loss of each building’s ‘landscaped podium’.
Changes are also being proposed for plot 10 of the site, with the number of three-bed apartments available reducing from 79 to 50, while an additional eight units are also set to be provided on plot 11.
However there is no mention of costs in the planning application, with developers insisting that the new changes are intended to improve on the original scheme, rather than helping to cut costs.
“Overall the fundamental design principles and concept of the original application are maintained,” the application notes.
“The changes sought are considered both necessary and appropriate and the refinement of each plot further improves the originally approved scheme.”
The proposals will go before the council’s planning committee on Thursday.
