Mayor Robin Wales told Reuters on Monday that Newham had formally submitted its interest to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) for both the aquatics centre and handball arena and would be seeking potential partners.
The borough, one of the poorest and most deprived in London, is already a partner with Premier League soccer side West Ham United to occupy the Olympic Stadium after the Games.
Wales warned that the 268 million pound aquatics centre, with its wave shaped roof, would require government subsidy to pay for maintenance while substantial modifications might also be necessary.
"We have put an expression of interest in...we are very concerned about the maintenance. This is going to be something which is going to cost money, not make money," said Wales of the aquatics centre.
"Where the stadium will over time not be a drain on public funds, and in fact will make us money, the aquatics is a very different beast.
"But we can see there might be a synergy with the stadium and we are just going to look at that."
The deadline for expressions of interest was last week.
Designed by Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid, the aquatics centre is the most striking of the venues at the east London Olympic Park but is also seen as one of the least attractive for potential operators after the Games.
BUILT-IN PROBLEM
Wales said the building was flawed and Newham would not be prepared to take on the maintenance costs.
"It's got a wooden roof over a chlorinated pool. We are not in the business of protecting that," he said.
"Why do you build something that has got a built-in problem with maintenance? This is foolish," he said.
"If a council did that we'd get eviscerated. And quite rightly too.
"I don't know if you can take the roof off, I'm not a swimming pool designer," said the elected mayor, adding with a chuckle: "Mind you, I always wanted a lido in Newham."
Wales said Newham's interest was in providing a leisure facility for locals after the Games and questioned why the council had not been involved in legacy decisions to make that possible.
"We did some years ago offer to pay for a leisure pool to go in there, and we offered five million (pounds). The trouble is the roof slopes in such a way that you can't get slides in. You can't use it," he said.
"We have consistently stuck to our position which is that we want to use it in legacy, we were willing to put money in to use it in legacy so the community can also be part of it.
"That was not what was wanted at the time it was designed and therefore...there's an implication for that and people are going to have to face up to it."
Wales said the copper-clad handball venue, which has cost 44 million pounds to build, was of less immediate interest.
"It's not in our borough and we are more twitchy about that," he said.
"The only reason we are interested in that is because an operator of the stadium might say actually the two together will work. We are only interested in terms of if there are any synergies.
"We are exploring. We started exploring the stadium and it came out brilliantly."
The borough, one of the poorest and most deprived in London, is already a partner with Premier League soccer side West Ham United to occupy the Olympic Stadium after the Games.
Wales warned that the 268 million pound aquatics centre, with its wave shaped roof, would require government subsidy to pay for maintenance while substantial modifications might also be necessary.
"We have put an expression of interest in...we are very concerned about the maintenance. This is going to be something which is going to cost money, not make money," said Wales of the aquatics centre.
"Where the stadium will over time not be a drain on public funds, and in fact will make us money, the aquatics is a very different beast.
"But we can see there might be a synergy with the stadium and we are just going to look at that."
The deadline for expressions of interest was last week.
Designed by Iraqi-born architect Zaha Hadid, the aquatics centre is the most striking of the venues at the east London Olympic Park but is also seen as one of the least attractive for potential operators after the Games.
BUILT-IN PROBLEM
Wales said the building was flawed and Newham would not be prepared to take on the maintenance costs.
"It's got a wooden roof over a chlorinated pool. We are not in the business of protecting that," he said.
"Why do you build something that has got a built-in problem with maintenance? This is foolish," he said.
"If a council did that we'd get eviscerated. And quite rightly too.
"I don't know if you can take the roof off, I'm not a swimming pool designer," said the elected mayor, adding with a chuckle: "Mind you, I always wanted a lido in Newham."
Wales said Newham's interest was in providing a leisure facility for locals after the Games and questioned why the council had not been involved in legacy decisions to make that possible.
"We did some years ago offer to pay for a leisure pool to go in there, and we offered five million (pounds). The trouble is the roof slopes in such a way that you can't get slides in. You can't use it," he said.
"We have consistently stuck to our position which is that we want to use it in legacy, we were willing to put money in to use it in legacy so the community can also be part of it.
"That was not what was wanted at the time it was designed and therefore...there's an implication for that and people are going to have to face up to it."
Wales said the copper-clad handball venue, which has cost 44 million pounds to build, was of less immediate interest.
"It's not in our borough and we are more twitchy about that," he said.
"The only reason we are interested in that is because an operator of the stadium might say actually the two together will work. We are only interested in terms of if there are any synergies.
"We are exploring. We started exploring the stadium and it came out brilliantly."
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