2026 Commonwealth Games Regional Victoria Venues/Stadiums Discussion

[My_Username]

Huh. That explains why JCA always looks so weird with all the seating in, it's hiding a velodrome underneath.

Yeah, it's a pretty freaky place.

Built in velodrome, retractable roof, seating at the north and south ends hydraulically lift as a whole units, while east/west it's removable back to the side of the track.

The place definitely qualifies as 'multi purpose'.

 

[Roogal]

2026 Commonwealth Games: Ballarat lessons from Birmingham 2022​

Saturday 20th August 2022
Author: Alex Ford

On your marks: Stuart Benjamin at the Birmingham 2022 athletics. Pictures: contributed
​

The clock is ticking for the 2026 regional Victoria Commonwealth Games - we're just over three years to the opening ceremony - but what can we learn from the 2022 Birmingham Games? Much like 2026, Birmingham had its hand forced by the cancellation of the Durban Games, meaning organisers had less time than expected to prepare for the thousands of athletes and tourists.

Despite this, it's been considered a success - Australia's athletes shone with dozens of medals, while the city itself put on a show. There are key differences between Birmingham, a city of more than a million people, and the regional games, which will be held across four cities, but there are fundamental lessons that organisers must be across to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Ballarat resident Stuart Benjamin decided to go to Birmingham - independent of any state government positions he holds, he said - to see for himself how it all works. "This is the biggest thing that's ever going to happen in our community," he said after his return. "It was even bigger than I possibly contemplated, it was insane how big it was." Mr Benjamin went for five days, catching athletics, boxing, netball, and the closing ceremony, and staying in re-purposed student accommodation in the city.

Party on: The closing ceremony in Birmingham from the crowd.
​

There are important lessons, he said, but he left confident Ballarat will play its part well, if actions are taken early. "The concerns I went over with are not the concerns that I have anymore - I have plenty of concerns, they're all new ones," he said. "My absolute number one concern for the Commonwealth Games in Ballarat, the risk we face is we'll see people potentially come to Ballarat on the train, they'll come to the Ballarat station or potentially an events station closer to the stadium, they'll come in to do the activity then get back on the train and leave straight away never interacting with the rest of the city, all we end up being is a venue host with no long-term benefit out of it, and that's my biggest fear."

TICKETS​

The ticket buying experience for events was "a nightmare", Mr Benjamin said, and it's hoped this will improve before 2026. While there were hundreds of "cheap seats", for about £15, or $25 in real money, these sold out quickly, and it was a big jump to the rest of the seats. There were no "passes" to see all the athletics events, and each day was split into two sessions, in the morning and evening.

Colour: Smoke bursts before events in Birmingham.
​

That meant to see the entire athletics program, you'd need to buy about 12 separate tickets across the six days. "It's important we look at selling passes of tickets to people who are true believers, they'll sit in that seat and cheer for six days," he said. Also, while the events will be geographically separated for 2026 - it will be hard to catch a cricket game in Morwell then get to prime-time boxing in Ballarat - in Birmingham it was "difficult" to spontaneously choose an event on the day. "You couldn't say 'well, I've got the afternoon, could I just go to the netball', it wasn't easy to just grab a ticket," Mr Benjamin said. "The controls they had on them to buy the tickets were so strict, probably to stop scalping or whatever, that it was almost impossible to use the tickets, so in fact, you saw about 80 per cent of people going through the gates were still using print-outs, because it was too hard to use the digital version, that's insane in the current age."​

TRANSPORT​

While the privatised British rail network was a shemozzle, Mr Benjamin is confident Victoria's system will be able to handle the influx of visitors. There are hopes a temporary or basic train platform will be built close to Mars Stadium to help get people in and out, and it's expected there will be a vast network of shuttlebuses, as there was in Birmingham.

Wayfinding was identified as an area for Ballarat to perfect before the games.
​

"The key will be the train part," he said. "At Alexander Stadium (in Birmingham), they were able to clean out 30,000 people on buses, there were queues and it might have taken an hour. "It's a 2.5 km walk from Mars into town - will people choose that if you say it's an hour wait for a bus or a 30 minute walk?"

ACCOMMODATION​

Ballarat presently has about 4500 accommodation beds including some 3000 in hotels and motels, but if we want people to stay for longer during the games, we'll need a lot more. Mr Benjamin said he paid "the most I've ever paid for a hotel room", noting "there's never enough for these kinds of events". The question is how much will be temporary, to ensure it's sustainable after the event, and how much business will we lose to visitors commuting from Melbourne each day.

"One of my biggest concerns before I left, we have to build accommodation for the athletes, but there's also the bigwigs as well, we don't have the six-star accommodation these people require, the reality I think is they'll stay in Melbourne because they'll need to do a day here, a day in Geelong," Mr Benjamin said. "That business can stay in Melbourne, we have enough things to worry about. "We know we've got a massive undersupply of 3.5 to 5 star accommodation in Ballarat, and we need a couple of 120 room venues (knowing that recently two hotels (90 and 125 rooms) have recently been approved by Council)." That'll be hard work on top of building the athletes village, which the state government has promised will be a mix of private and community housing - no location has been decided for it yet, but it will need services like hairdressers and more.

One of the mess halls before athletes arrived - in a double-storey tent
​

"The real challenge that presents with building is that commissioning stadiums is easy but accommodation is difficult," Mr Benjamin said. "They didn't have to test any of the accommodation because it was student accommodation where people had already been living in it, but for new buildings, that's a lot of testing, every toilet needs to be flushed at the same time, and the mess facilities have to be able to house 30 per cent of the participants at once, so if you've got 2000 people here, you have to feed about 650 at once. "That's definitely having the same size as the Mercure events centre running 24-hours a day, that's a big tent." Essentially, for Ballarat, the challenge of establishing a small village for 1800-2000 people will be that of building the equivalent of a small Army base.

EVENTS​

Recent opinion coverage in metropolitan media has expressed derision at the idea that regional audiences will even show up - Mr Benjamin had strong words for these ideas. That said, it was an "interesting atmosphere" in Birmingham, and it will be different in sport-mad Victoria. "I'd go to the boxing and people there just had no idea what was going on, they're cheering but they don't know what they're cheering for," he said.

"At the athletics, they played music the whole time, and the commentators had to prompt saying 'now's the time to start clapping' for the high jump run-up. I don't think we'll have that problem here." In fact, the estimated Mars Stadium expansion, bringing its 12,000 capacity to 30,000 temporarily, "may not be enough. I'm worried Mars won't have enough seats for the demand that's going to be there - I mean, there's five of us in my family, I'll be buying five tickets to every session," he said.

One disappointment in Birmingham was the live sites, which Mr Benjamin described as "a couple of beanbags" - this will need to be improved if events are going to be held in different cities.

LEGACY​

The state government has appointed a minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy, Shaun Leane, and has promised sporting upgrades and housing for host cities. But it's intangible benefits that must also be considered, Mr Benjamin said - "it's not just bricks and mortar, it's more than that". "In Birmingham, the local traders association worked with the university, so for example, rather than having to go to the national supplier of security fencing, because they're the only ones with enough supply, they instead got four or five smaller companies together who did a joint bid," he said. "Now that group can bid for bigger things, and that's real legacy. "Birmingham University, an incredible institution, they're going to live off this for the next decade, they've built up a whole skill base on this, a lot of students will go to university in Birmingham because of this exposure. "I think there's a lot of those other legacy items we haven't turned our minds to, I don't know what they are but we'll work it out."

WHAT NEXT​

More sports are expected to be announced within the month, with Ballarat pushing to host the marathon and a reintroduced rowing program, as well as mountain biking in Creswick. Mr Benjamin said he is convinced the event will be a success. "We can do it, absolutely - I went over thinking we couldn't, I've come back thinking we can," he said. "Birmingham didn't have to build anything more than what we will need to do here in regional Victoria, and they only had two years to prepare, we've got three and a half and we're incredibly motivated." The 2026 opening ceremony is March 17, just over 1300 days away.

 

[SomeNorthFan]

They've trademarked individual city names as part of the branding, feels like this could be pointing towards multiple logos and branding schemes for each city. Perhaps a sub-logo for each city.

 

[Sammoll]

They've trademarked individual city names as part of the branding, feels like this could be pointing towards multiple logos and branding schemes for each city. Perhaps a sub-logo for each city.
View attachment 1488157

I am surprised they've gone for Gippsland which is a huge region rather than just LaTrobe City which is where all the events will probably take place within. I suppose Gippsland is probably better for brand recognition and promoting the whole area.

 

[Roogal]

I have to say that the Games Organisers are starting to cut themselves seriously short with time. With 1263 days left no decisions or announcements yet on what additional sports will be added to the program. The time line to get infrastructure in place is tightening to the point that they are leaving themselves no margins for error. If decisions are not announced on venue upgrades, infrastructure construction and budgetary allocations by at least late October to early November I would suggest that they are going serious difficulty in preparing these cities to host the games.

Stadiums, railway stations, road reconstructions, and in particular the athletes villages don't just pop up over night. Monies must be allocated to each project, the individual projects have to be designed and approved. Tenders for construction awarded and of course the construction, handover and testing must be done. I would suggest that three years might now be getting tight considering that many of Victoria's major construction firms are engaged in Victoria's "Big Build" already. Certainly in Ballarat, in 2024 one of the city's biggest and most expensive construction projects ever, the reconstruction of the city's main hospital, will commence and it is not scheduled to be completed until 2027. This project will engage a lot of the city's major construction assets and trades people in addition to trades people being engaged in other government and private works not associated with the Games.

One would hope that Jerome Wiemar is working to a defined project time line and that the organisers are not dithering or getting bogged down over which sports to include in the program at this stage.

We should be keeping our eyes peeled for major announcements literally any day now.

 

[My_Username]

I have to say that the Games Organisers are starting to cut themselves seriously short with time. With 1263 days left no decisions or announcements yet on what additional sports will be added to the program. The time line to get infrastructure in place is tightening to the point that they are leaving themselves no margins for error. If decisions are not announced on venue upgrades, infrastructure construction and budgetary allocations by at least late October to early November I would suggest that they are going serious difficulty in preparing these cities to host the games.

Stadiums, railway stations, road reconstructions, and in particular the athletes villages don't just pop up over night. Monies must be allocated to each project, the individual projects have to be designed and approved. Tenders for construction awarded and of course the construction, handover and testing must be done. I would suggest that three years might now be getting tight considering that many of Victoria's major construction firms are engaged in Victoria's "Big Build" already. Certainly in Ballarat, in 2024 one of the city's biggest and most expensive construction projects ever, the reconstruction of the city's main hospital, will commence and it is not scheduled to be completed until 2027. This project will engage a lot of the city's major construction assets and trades people in addition to trades people being engaged in other government and private works not associated with the Games.

One would hope that Jerome Wiemar is working to a defined project time line and that the organisers are not dithering or getting bogged down over which sports to include in the program at this stage.

We should be keeping our eyes peeled for major announcements literally any day now.

Dan's got to make sure all the right snouts are in the trough and kickbacks arranged.

Expect some announcements in the lead up to the election, especially in marginal seats. Probably just before the official campaign is underway so he can use taxpayer money to promote it. Details will be 'tweaked' depending on polling.

 

[Sammoll]

New sports announced, so venues will need to be found for them too

 

[My_Username]

New sports announced, so venues will need to be found for them too

Coastal rowing.

Set the course up to go through The Rip. Torquay/Geelong/Torquay. Against the tide.

 

[SomeNorthFan]

Coastal rowing.

Set the course up to go through The Rip. Torquay/Geelong/Torquay. Against the tide.

LET THERE BE CHAOS!

 

[robbieando]

Shepparton named to host the BMX and Men’s and Women’s Time Trial for the Cycling as well as a Cultural Festival

 

[The Victorian]

Bendigo games village at Flora Hill announced in as well as Track Cycling at a temporary velodrome at the Bendigo Showgrounds and 3x3 Basketball also hosted in Bendigo.

Bendigo Cycles Ahead With Six Sports In Victoria 2026 | Premier of Victoria

The Andrews Labor Government is on track to deliver the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Bendigo. Two new sports will be added to Bendigo’s impressive sports program, with Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling and 3X3 Basketball and 3X3 Wheelchair Basketball newly added. This means six sports will be...

www.premier.vic.gov.au

 

[My_Username]

Bendigo games village at Flora Hill announced in as well as Track Cycling at a temporary velodrome at the Bendigo Showgrounds and 3x3 Basketball also hosted in Bendigo.

Bendigo Cycles Ahead With Six Sports In Victoria 2026 | Premier of Victoria

The Andrews Labor Government is on track to deliver the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Bendigo. Two new sports will be added to Bendigo’s impressive sports program, with Track Cycling and Para Track Cycling and 3X3 Basketball and 3X3 Wheelchair Basketball newly added. This means six sports will be...

www.premier.vic.gov.au

In case anyone thought I was being cynical in post #31 about the announcements being political, check the first paragraph of this press release.


"The Andrews Labor Government is on track to deliver the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Bendigo."

 

[The Victorian]

In case anyone thought I was being cynical in post #31 about the announcements being political, check the first paragraph of this press release.


"The Andrews Labor Government is on track to deliver the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Bendigo."

Well the LNP aren't doing anything towards these Games so why should Matthew Guy and co take credit?

 

[My_Username]

Well the LNP aren't doing anything towards these Games so why should Matthew Guy and co take credit?

Neither should be taking credit.

It should be run by an apolitical body.

 

[Roogal]

In case anyone thought I was being cynical in post # about the announcements being political, check the first paragraph of this press release.


"The Andrews Labor Government is on track to deliver the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Bendigo."

I anticipate that most of the big venue announcements will be made leading up to the State Election preceded by the above statement. Of course course they will politicise it to milk as much advantage out of the associated spending announcements.

 

[SomeNorthFan]

Eureka! Stadium Upgrade Ahead Of Victoria 2026 | Premier of Victoria
Eureka Stadium will be upgraded to hold 17,000 permanent spectators with a new 5,000 seat grandstand. Massive $150 million upgrade incoming as well as a $50 million upgrade to Ballarat Station. Stadium will be temporarily expanded to 35,000 for the commonwealth games. Creswick in the Shire of Hepburn will host mountain bike events.

 

[The Victorian]

 

[Sammoll]

There have been a few new things announced today.

To summarise:

• Kardinia Park confirmed to host closing ceremony
• Kardinia Park confirmed to host T20 Final
• New Aquatics centre to be constructed in Armstrong Creek (suburb 20 min drive to the South of Geelong, no train station) for Swimming and Diving, to be used as a community facility after the games
• New facility for Gymnastics and Weightlifting to be constructed in Waurn Ponds (suburb 20 min drive to south-east of Geelong, served by train station), to be used as community facility after the games
• Stead Park in North Geelong confirmed to host hockey
• Athlete village to be constructed in Waurn Ponds
• Coastal rowing confirmed to be hosted in Torquay

Victoria 2026 facilities to be built in Waurn Ponds, Armstrong Creek - Geelong Times

CLOSE to $300 million of sporting infrastructure will be built in Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games, with the state government revealing more details today (Saturday, October 29). Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast will host a athletes’ village, nine...

timesnewsgroup.com.au

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

There have been a few new things announced today.

To summarise:

• Kardinia Park confirmed to host closing ceremony
• Kardinia Park confirmed to host T20 Final
• New Aquatics centre to be constructed in Armstrong Creek (suburb 20 min drive to the South of Geelong, no train station) for Swimming and Diving, to be used as a community facility after the games
• New facility for Gymnastics and Weightlifting to be constructed in Waurn Ponds (suburb 20 min drive to south-east of Geelong, served by train station), to be used as community facility after the games
• Stead Park in North Geelong confirmed to host hockey
• Athlete village to be constructed in Waurn Ponds
• Coastal rowing confirmed to be hosted in Torquay

Victoria 2026 facilities to be built in Waurn Ponds, Armstrong Creek - Geelong Times

CLOSE to $300 million of sporting infrastructure will be built in Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games, with the state government revealing more details today (Saturday, October 29). Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast will host a athletes’ village, nine...

timesnewsgroup.com.au

Stead Park is not in North Geelong, it's in Corio, which is a suburb in the north of Geelong. The facilities are very good from what my sister tells me but the surrounding areas are pretty trashy. You have the oldest part of Corio on one side, the Shell / Viva Refinery on another side and Norlane on the other side.

Currently it is a 3+km walk from the Corio train station to Stead Park. I wonder if they will do anything about that? Maybe just run buses between the two or alternatively, North Shore station is on 2km away and has footpaths. It might be a better alternative, they could spruce it up, especially with the Spirit of Tasmania sailing out of Corio Quay now which is a 1.4km walk from North Shore.

 

[Roogal]

From today's Ballarat Courier:

2026 Commonwealth Games: Ballarat athletics legacy revealed as expressions of interest open​

Above: Concept art for Mars Stadium, showing Creswick Road blocked and the new warm-up track at the current showgrounds site
​

Tender documents reveal Ballarat's new athletics facility will be built on the corner of Creswick Road and Howitt Street, with the Midland Highway potentially blocked during the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The expression of interest documents, from the state government's tender website, include "indicative block plans" for the massive $150 million Mars Stadium upgrades.

Ballarat will host the athletics and para-athletics at the stadium in March 2026, as well as boxing at Selkirk Stadium and some cricket matches. Creswick will also host mountain biking. According to the documents, tenders will go out by December 5, with construction to begin in October, 2023. In Ballarat, the plans show another 5000 seats to be built on the stadium's eastern side, removing the existing roof, and adding 18,000 temporary seats to the eastern stand and on the hill to the south. The current showgrounds site will become home to a new International Amateur Athletics Federation-standard facility, with a full running track with internal throwing areas for warm-ups, and temporary throwing warm-up facilities on the western side.

Where the new grandstands could go for the Commonwealth Games (in yellow) - indicative block plan only.
​

There would also be added amenities around a new plaza spilling onto Creswick Road - the indicative block plans echo the initial concept art for the stadium, with Creswick Road blocked just after the Howitt Street intersection, and a new bus parking facility for an "athlete load zone". Much of the current North Ballarat Sports Club would be closed to the public for the Games, with a broadcast compound pictured in the current car park, and other facilities around the club's second oval.​

It's not clear from the documents how the public would access the site. The documents also show early plans for what will happen to the site after the Games, and while the surface of Mars Stadium would return to being a football oval, the new athletics facility would stay. Two stands of 2000 seats would be retained, and the roof would be returned on the south-eastern stand.

After the Games, this is what the new Ballarat athletics facility might look like.
​

The athletics track would include a new clubhouse and parking, though the throwing warm-up areas to the west are labelled "future development area".
The early plans are good news, according to Ballarat Regional Athletics Centre hub manager Ashley Anderson. He said the existing facilities at Llanberris on York Street needed a significant update and the new design showed a track oriented north-south. "That's the best option for wind," he said. "The main thing to consider is the legacy for the facility is to meet the needs into the future - to create something fantastic not just for the athletics community but for the whole town."

Ballarat athletics clubs will be part of the consultation process, Mr Anderson added, with a list of priorities already submitted to Development Victoria, the agency in charge of delivering the facilities. The wish list includes a nine or 10-lane running track with two sprint straights, four sandpits, and internal and external throwing areas. "The main things that we learned, and we looked a lot of different facilities across Victoria, is there's always one or two things they realise afterwards they could have done better," he said.

"It's important to look beyond just the track and the amenities, it's the changerooms, equipment shed, stands, shaded area, lighting, these are things that can be left behind. 'We're ready, we're welcoming the changes, we're ready to open ourselves up to the opportunity that presents itself." In a statement, a Development Victoria spokesperson said the agency "will be working closely with the construction industry over the next three years to get these venues and villages constructed and operating in time for the Games in March, 2026". Development Victoria also opened a community engagement survey this week for Ballarat's athletes' village, to be built at the former sale yards site on La Trobe Street. It's expected 1800 people will be housed at the 13-hectare site, which will convert to a mix of affordable and social housing after the Games.

The survey, available online through the state government's EngageVictoria platform, closes on December 4.

 

[The Victorian]

Is there better quality images of the Mars Stadium precinct??

 

[Roogal]

Is there better quality images of the Mars Stadium precinct??

No, because at this stage the images are indicative only. The detailed plans will be drawn up once the winning tender for the re-development is appointed. Tenders for this project actually close today. Demolition of the Showgrounds and development of the area isn't due to commence until from October next year. We still have no confirmation of whether the Midland Highway will be upgraded or whether there will be a train platform constructed. We shouldn't hold our breath waiting for these announcements. The Ballarat Council submitted their list of requirements for Legacy development of the precinct for after the Games. But the Games planners could have completely different ideas again.

 

[The Victorian]

I read yesterday that the former State Water Minister - Harriet Shing (MLC) is taking over as the Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy. Boy if she stuffs that up the way that she managed our reservoirs by allowing them to fill to 100% capacity as we entered Spring in a LaNina year then Games Legacy will be interesting

Yes water releases from Victoria's reservoirs to take pressure off rapidly filling dams by opening flood gates can only be authorised by the State's Water Minister (A Bracks era legacy), local water management authorities have no say in it. So if any Victorian's are wondering why Eildon Dam's flood gates were opened to release even more water into the already flooded Goulburn River two days after Seymour flooded, or why Dartmouth Dam was opened as the Murray River was flooding ... The answer is Harriet Shing.

Good luck with Games Legacy

Shaun Leane did nothing wrong. Why did he get the sack?

 

[My_Username]

Geotech and archaeology work begins on Eureka Stadium and Ballarat showgrounds​

By Gabrielle Hodson
Ballarat Courier
January 23 2023

Geology experts are getting down and dirty at Eureka Stadium and the showgrounds, testing the ground to determine what can be built on top ahead of construction of major infrastructure for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. And it's all good so far.

Archaeologists and staff from the Ballarat office of A.S James Geotechnical Engineers spent the weekend drilling, digging, sifting and sampling soil from underneath the stadium property on Creswick Road - and the showgrounds next door.

Workers also dug several bore holes to a depth of 12 metres on Saturday. Wade Fullerton from A.S. James said while the samples needed detailed lab analysis, much of the land between the showgrounds and oval (the space used by visiting circuses) was a relatively undisturbed layer of clay over siltstone - and thankfully, no high water table.

View attachment 1591562
Morgan Turner and Wade Fullerton of A.S. James help drill core samples to a depth of up to 12m at Eureka Stadium - the first step in planning future facilities for the Commonwealth Games. Picture by Kate Healy.

They didn't exactly hit gold - or any old mineshafts - but small amounts of quartz were found in the samples. The Creswick Road showgrounds have been council property since at least 1934 and before that, the show was held on a site between Lake Wendouree and Gregory Street.

Maps from 1861 depict paddocks across the area. Archaeologists representing local indigenous groups were also on hand to check the level and amount of siltstone, which Mr Fullerton said could sometimes yield aboriginal artefacts.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 COUNTDOWN - The Games begin March 17, 2026 - 1148 days​

The testing is the first stage to determine what sort of grandstands, parking and more can go on top. Eureka Stadium will get a $159 million upgrade ahead of the March 2026 Commonwealth Games in country Victoria to prepare the site for athletics and para-athletics.

It includes the addition of 5000 permanent seats to the stadium. A.S. James was also the company that tested Ballarat's GovHub site in 2019 - revealing thousands of intact goldrush-era bottles and a giant boulder with a core of hundreds of 10 centimetre crystals known as Natrolite. Staff said the boulder cracked open during removal and was mistaken for naturally-occurring asbestos. They said they would have liked the crystals to have been put on display at the government offices but were unsure what had happened to the huge rock.

View attachment 1591563
Siltstone samples being readied to be sifted by archeaologists for indigenous and other artefacts beside Eureka Stadium. Picture by Kate Healy.

A.S James is also hoping to work on the former saleyards site at Delacombe, which has been selected a the site for a Commonwealth Games village.

The State Government estimates the games will create more than 600 full-time equivalent jobs before they start, another 3900 during the games and an extra 3000 after the closing ceremony. They believe it will inject $3 billion into the Victorian economy.

"COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2026 COUNTDOWN - The Games begin March 17, 2026 - 1148 days"​

3 years to go and they're only doing the initial surveying work?

 

[My_Username]

As Abe Lincoln once famously said, "If given 12 hours to cut down a tree, you should spend 11 hours sharpening the axe". I'm happy for the planners to take their time and to get things right rather than rush ahead, make mistakes and ultimately create delays and cost blow outs.

Or in the Victorian industrial landscape.

Delay until they're forced to give you lots of overtime in order to reach the deadlines.