微密圈

There are fewer than 1,500 days left until the opening ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. In that time a new aquatics centre will be built, Alexander Stadium will undergo a 拢70m overhaul, a 拢350m athletes鈥� village will be developed and innumerable infrastructure projects will be carried out. It鈥檚 a race against the clock.

In the words of Simon Marks, Arcadis鈥� city executive for Birmingham: 鈥淚t is a staggering amount of work to be completed in a relatively short amount of time. It鈥檚 not very many days really, given what we鈥檝e got to do.鈥�

To put the scale of the task in perspective, Birmingham was confirmed as host on 21 December last year, just four years and seven months before the Games kick off. In contrast, Glasgow was awarded the 2014 event in November 2007, and Manchester was handed the 2002 Games back in 1995.

Marks says he is confident the proposed programmes allow for timely delivery, but concedes that 鈥� given the accelerated timescale 鈥� there are challenges to be overcome.

鈥淟et鈥檚 not kid ourselves; it鈥檚 not going to be a walk in the park,鈥� Marks says. 鈥淏ut I honestly do think it鈥檚 achievable.鈥�

One of the concerns is how much the supply chain may be stretched by the extensive package of works. But Marks, who is also a board director at Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, points out that the fact the range of works is quite diverse could be a saving grace.

鈥淭here are a number of key trades where the pressure could be quite significant; there is no denying that. But it takes different teams and skills to deliver an aquatics centre to an athletes鈥� village, while a stadium job needs different people again, so the big schemes won鈥檛 necessarily be pulling completely from the same pool,鈥� he says.

鈥淲e just need to be really open about what we need for each project and when it is needed, to come up with an overall plan.鈥�

The big venues will, of course, dominate the headlines but the infrastructure projects will be just as important to the overall delivery of the event and are likely to toss up just as many challenges 鈥� one of each has already been given a high risk rating.

However, despite the challenges, there鈥檚 no denying the project is a huge opportunity for the area. Marks says the Midlands must use this as a chance to upskill its workforce and pull together to showcase the region.

鈥淭here are 2.3 billion people in the Commonwealth, a billion of whom are middle-class consumers. There aren鈥檛 many better opportunities to showcase what an area has to offer than that. It鈥檚 a real game-changer for the region,鈥� he says.

鈥淚t is imperative we leverage the opportunities that the two weeks [of the Games] presents to create a legacy that lasts long beyond that period.鈥�

To get to grips with the task that the UK鈥檚 second-biggest city is facing, we take a look at the projects, big and small, that will be carried out over the next four years.