§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his latest estimate is of the total cost of building an athletics stadium and related development at Picketts Lock.[137839]
§ Mr. Chris Smith[holding answer 10 November 2000]: The English Sports Council has allocated £1.3 million from the Sports Lottery Fund for detailed feasibility work on the Lee Valley Stadium project. Accurate estimates of the overall project costs will be available once this work has been completed. An initial technical study for a concept athletics stadium capable of hosting the 2005 World Athletics Championships and becoming the long-term home for the athletics in the UK, has been prepared by Drivers Jonas, on behalf of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and UK Athletics. This paper exercise suggests that the cost of such a stadium could be around £95 million, but more accurate figures will be available in due course from the detailed feasibility study.