Was It All Worthwhile?

[Norman Verona]

Stephen, it says that the village will be turned into "affordable" housing. Affordable to whom, millionaires?

I hope it is managed properly and doesn't become another "sink" estate.

[SootySport]

Watched a lot of it on TV, the coverage by BBC was the best ever. It would be interesting to know how the Expenditure vs. Income stacks up in the end, I don't think there will be much of a loss once all things are taken into consideration. The rest of the world thinks we did a good job (except the French of course).

The legacy is probably the most importatant bit to get right now, plenty of sports developement and housing to finish off and make it worthwhile.

Olympics 2012 was a big hit for me and all but the most pessimistic friends I know.

[Captain Colonial]

The website selling off the furniture, fittings and equipment from the games must be doing well, as it's just about impossible to even get on the home page.

http://www.remainsofthegames.co.uk/

They're flogging off everything from extra-long beds and duvets to javelins, hurdles, cones, clocks, clipboards, hangers, you name it. Good luck to them.

[stephenh]

Norman, "affordable" in planning terms means either "cheap" to buy, for example shared equity schemes where you can buy a share of a property and rent the part you can't afford from a housing association, with an option to buy additional share as and when you can afford it. Or it can mean housing owned by a housing association and let as "affordable" rents. Sometimes a mix of both.

Also, what are the sports arenas worth to the nation or the area? Didn't I hear somewhere that one of the main stadiums is open to highest offer from football clubs etc.? Seems to me that quite a lot of the capital cost can be recovered from the private sector one way or another. :t-up:

[fatbaldbloke]

Was it worthwhile, should we have spent that much money*, will it inspire a generation?

Did you watch and if so did you enjoy it.

And lastly, what was your best moment.

In order, yes, yes, yes, yes and finally...I held it all together through the sporting events, through fantastic achievements, emotional moments, heartbreaks...but, I must have had some dust in my eye when the film of John Lennon singing Imagine appeared in the final ceremony....

[Terry Everall]

Think West Ham are interested in the stadium

[Vinny's Westie]

From what I remember the affordable housing - doesn't it have the toilet block as a plug in unit that can be removed through the roof and then the individual dormitories can be made into individual houses by inserting a different pod. Seemed a good thing when I saw the presentation/brochure a while ago. Think one of my customers was involved in it.

[Norman Verona]

Stephen, I was being, well, my usual awkward self.

The "legacy" should be the reopening of the youth clubs as well as the sports clubs. Lets not only inspire a generation, lets give them the facilities to express the inspiration.

I tried to open a youth club in the roughest part of Sheffield (The Manor Estate). In the end I had financial backing and more youth leaders than I needed. The local lads wanted it. The Council stopped it on "Health & Safety" grounds. It was their premises that were going to be used. I reckon that if we could have got the club going we would have halved the youth crime in the area.

Problem with the stadium is that the seating is to far away from the centre where a football pitch would be. I would have thought that this could have been dealt with in the design. West Ham walked away over this, they would have had to pay to rectify the problem.

[Terry Everall]

Norm

You are right as the central area of the pitch would be further away than a normal ground. Would be good as a hot rod /stock car stadium like there used to be at Walthamstow, White City and Wimbledon in the 70s

Hackney just did speedway if I recall

Some talk about the stadium and accommodation being used as a University complex

[s2rrr]

Thats the same as the Manchester commonwealth stadium now the Man City ground. didn't they just dig out the middle and put another level of seats in. One day athletics a bit later footie stadium.

Yes it did cost a lot, yes it was a brilliant event, yes I was waiting for the usual jobs worth or simple dangler up and luckily it wasn't visible. So in all aspects a tremendous spectacle usually left for the royal events only but proves we can put on a good show wehn we need to. I hope we can reap some of the benefits maybe in trade etc that we should after such a good show.

Bob :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

[jeff oakley]

I was against bidding for the olympics, but once we had it it needed to be well done and it was. Did it need to cost that much, no it did not but that is the way with all goverment projects where the prices charged by the contractors is always above real world.

As for the legacy, yes there has been a lot of improvments that will lift the east end if they look after it and any who live and work in the east end will know that will be a hard job. If Cameron keeps his promise and we go back to having competative sports in all schools where there are winners and losers then that will be great as the currebt mantra of all being winners is detrimental to society.

[greenandmean]

Don't know if it was worth it, didn't see much of it but best moments by far were to hear the spectators singing the National Anthem when the gold medals were being handed out, at least they knew the words which is more than the competitors seemed to, but I expect they have the excuse of the emotion of the moment.