Headlines this weekend were dominated by the much delayed completion of the new Wembley stadium. Late on Friday, Australian developer Multiplex officially handed over the stadium’s keys to the Football Association. If all goes well this year’s FA Cup final will return to Wembley in May after an absence of five years.
The stadium’s completion had originally been scheduled for January last year. In 1995 when planning first began, it had been hoped the stadium would open in the Summer of 2005. However, a series of delays and cost overruns have plagued the site since work began. The final price has been equally high for Multiplex. As the new stadium's cost increased from £352 million to a mind-numbing £757 million, Multiplex lost a reported £75m on the project. It also issued four profit warnings in 2005, had its executive chairman resign in disgrace and watched its share price subsequently plunge.
We arrived in London in December 2005 as delay headlines were dominating the news. The big question at the time, "Would the stadium be ready for the FA Cup Final in 2006?" All this is now history following Friday's announcement. The new stadium seats an impressive 90,000 spectators and contains 2,618 toilets – supposedly more than any other building in the world. The stadium's dramatic signature arch, 133 metres high, can be seen from many parts of the city (including the top of the London Eye).
The stadium’s completion had originally been scheduled for January last year. In 1995 when planning first began, it had been hoped the stadium would open in the Summer of 2005. However, a series of delays and cost overruns have plagued the site since work began. The final price has been equally high for Multiplex. As the new stadium's cost increased from £352 million to a mind-numbing £757 million, Multiplex lost a reported £75m on the project. It also issued four profit warnings in 2005, had its executive chairman resign in disgrace and watched its share price subsequently plunge.
We arrived in London in December 2005 as delay headlines were dominating the news. The big question at the time, "Would the stadium be ready for the FA Cup Final in 2006?" All this is now history following Friday's announcement. The new stadium seats an impressive 90,000 spectators and contains 2,618 toilets – supposedly more than any other building in the world. The stadium's dramatic signature arch, 133 metres high, can be seen from many parts of the city (including the top of the London Eye).
We’ve also seen the stadium precinct up close several times since arriving in London. It’s a quick 15 minutes North by tube from our local station. Close by the stadium is retail park, consisting largely of large furniture, home electrical and furnishing stores. This was our weekend haunt for many months when we moved into Swiss Cottage.
Wembley isn’t the only major construction project being undertaken by Mulitplex in London. Most working days my tube train takes me past White City where a truly gigantic office and retail complex is rapidly taking shape. This 40 acre site is being built for another proud Australia, Westfield.
The scale of the project is mind-boggling. The site includes new motorway access ramps, a new tube station, multi-story car parking, leisure centre, cinema and retail mall. When completed it will rival some of the largest malls scattered across Australia. While common Down Under, such retail destinations remain relatively rare in London. It’s also uncommon to see such an enormous construction site so close to the heart of London.
Fingers crossed. All appears to be on schedule at this Multiplex site.
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