Olympics 2012

I was out on a boat the other day around the waterways surrounding the Olympic Park. It's a great trip and a very interesting way to see all the progress on the 2012 site.

Not everybody is aware of the miles of water in this part of London. After years of being neglected, these rivers are finally being upgraded.

I hope, by 2011, it will be possible for boats to take the public on tours of the Olympic Park when many of the venues will be completed. While security may stop boats coming right into the Park during the Games, it should be possible to get up to the 02 (formerly the Dome) at Greenwich where the gymnastics and basketball finals will be held.

When the Games are over, 2012 organisers promise to turn this Park into magnificent gardens and waterfronts - a Hyde Park for east London, they say. There are plans for special Olympic gardens with plants from all over the world.

I have no doubt that this could happen if enough funds are provided by the London Mayor after 2012. The environment for thousands of Stratford residents will be changed because of it.

But people in the construction business are telling me that London 2012's hopes of being the "Greenest Games ever" are going to come under intense pressure in the next year because of the economic crisis.

The Olympic Delivery Authority, which is responsible for building all the facilities, promised to move half of the construction materials to the site by rail and river in a bid to stop London's roads being clogged up with thousands of lorries.

But the ODA also faces pressure to cut its budget and the cost of moving materials by road has dropped substantially in recent months because the construction business is struggling.

What that means is that it now costs between £6 and £9 to move one tonne of material in a lorry compared to £10 to £12 by rail and to £14 to £16 by water.

ODA chief executive David Higgins told me that he wants to deliver on the environmental promise. But with money tight, supporters of the waterways and some environmentalists fear the ODA may be forced to reduce the amount of material heading to the Park in barges.

This is a big environmental issue for east Londoners, given that one barge equates to 17 lorries on the road.

Being Green is not just about planting gardens. Environmentalists will be watching closely to see what the ODA does when the rivers to the Park are fully opened to barges in the next few months.