THE Olympic Aquatics Centre, ordered back to the drawing board two months ago by the Government, is not expected to be completed until 2010, two years behind deadline. A series of meetings is taking place to resolve plans for the centre in East London, the projected cost of which originally came in almost double the budgeted £75 million.

A spokeswoman for the interim Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the body overseeing the construction of facilities for 2012, said yesterday that she did not believe it would be ready in 2008, but “it will be ready in time for the Games”.

The announcement is an embarrassment because it scarcely gives confidence that all the scheduled deadlines will be met, although London has acted quicker than previous host cities so far in implementing plans. “No new design has yet been approved,” the ODA spokeswoman said. “The architects (the award-winning Zaha Hadid) are continuing to work on the plan to cut the costs and to refine the detailed design.”

However, she confirmed that a detailed planning application would be ready this year, although remedial work on the site at Olympic Park would have to be done first. The centre consists of two 50-metre pools, with seating for 20,000 spectators, plus a diving pit.

Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, said in November that a change in the specification of the centre “had almost doubled the costs, which is simply unacceptable. I cannot give anyone a complete assurance that costs for the 2012 Games will not rise. But what I will do is be absolutely ruthless in ensuring that any potential overspend, no matter how small, is caught early and driven back down wherever possible.”

Structural engineers have not been surprised by the escalation in costs, saying that the undulating roof, described as being like a manta ray floating over a sea bed, was a key factor. One expert is quoted in today’s edition of The New Civil Engineer magazine: “It is full of angles and boxes, and when things aren’t straight, that’s where you can really see your costs rocket.”

BEST-LAID PLANS

Crucial dates in the construction programme for the 2012 Olympics in London

2006: The new Wembley Stadium opens. It will host the finals of the men’s and women’s football tournaments

2007: The Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which will provide a seven-minute journey between Stratford and King’s Cross, will be completed

2008: The Aquatics Centre and the Velopark are scheduled to be finished

2010: The East London Line extension will be ready

2011: The Olympic Stadium will be completed and available for test events. Heathrow’s Terminal 5 will be opened