Sports venues to close in run-up to 2014 Games

The closures will take place to ensure the safety of athletes and spectators and the success of the 2014 event.

Ian McKenzie, head of venue development and integration at Glasgow 2014, will be responsible for the complex task.

At the start of this year, the public was consulted about the plans for all the competition venues and areas such as the Athletes Village.

Glasgow 2014 officials also spoke to councillors, community groups, businesses, housing associations and other interested organisations.

Mr McKenzie said: "The impact of the work is felt mainly by local people, but will ensure visitors, athletes and communities experience a safe and enjoyable Games."

Planning applications for the proposals have been submitted in batches, with the final list to be lodged with the city council tomorrow.

Every venue being used for the Games will be surrounded by a secure perimeter fence, with one entrance dedicated to athletes, another for the public and a third for the world's media.

Mr McKenzie said: "There will be screening points formed by our security and the police relating to the threat level at any given time."

The necessary work is likely to be different at each of the venues being used.

For example, Hampden, which will host the athletics and closing ceremony, and Celtic Park, which will be the venue for the opening cere­mony, both have adequate public toilets and concession stands to cope with the crowds.

But at many of the other locations these facilities will have to be provided by Glasgow 2014.

Accommodation will also have to be provided for backroom staff, including the mechanics who will look after the cycles during the mountain bike competition at Cathkin Braes.

On the fields of play, temporary sports pitches, floodlights, temporary extensions to the buildings, rigging and broadcast lighting will be needed.

At the front of each of the venues there will be areas for ticket checking and personal screening, temporary seating and stands, spectator facilities, including merchandising, information and catering stalls, first aid stations, video screens and scoreboards.

At the rear of venues there will be facilities for the athletes, warm-up areas, catering compounds, a technology area, a site management and logistics compound, a cleaning and waste area, media, broadcasting and security compounds and vehicle screening areas.

At the Athletes Village key facilities will include a welcome centre, transport mall, medical centre and recreation centre.

Housing in the Village, which will be home to 2200 athletes, is almost complete, but work on the extra facilities will start in January. Around February construction of a marquee – which will be three quarters the size of a football pitch – will begin.

When complete, a catering company will move in and fit it out to provide meals round the clock for competitors during the Games.

Mr McKenzie said venues would be closed to the public as near to the Games as possible to keep disruption to the minimum.

He said: "It is a delicate balance of being just in time, but not late."

Glasgow 2014 will do as much of the work as possible while the sporting venues remain open to the public, but will eventually take over exclusive use.

Mr McKenzie said: "For example, the technology equipment room – which might be a temporary building or a spare room – will go in months in advance.

"We progressively move in but are still looking at ways of reducing the time the venues close down."

However, it is likely they will start shutting to the public around May or June.

Mr McKenzie said: "Security will dictate what the secure land will have to be and how high the fences will be.

"Once the fences go up and the police check out the area nobody will be allowed in without accreditation."

The entire SECC complex will be closed to the public by July 4.

The international broadcast centre will be set up in car park seven and the main building will house the main press centre in halls one and two, the Loch Suite and the Lomond auditorium.

Hall three will be the base for judo and wrestling, hall four will be split in two for boxing and netball and hall five for warm-up for netball and gymnastics.

The Armadillo will be the venue for weightlifting and powerlifting and the Hydro the base for artistic and rhythmic gymnastics.

A spokesman for Glasgow Life, which runs the council's sports venues, said: "We are working with Glasgow 2014 to minimise disruption and provide alternatives to ensure everyone can continue to be active during Games times.

"We will provide full details of Games time proposals at the earliest opportunity."

vivienne.nicoll@eveningtimes.co.uk