Building Developments

The 2012 Olympics will provide the opportunity for many areas of the City to accelerate proposed regeneration projects as well as creating new ones.Below is an insight of how the London region will benefit from the 2012 games.

Major development work is happening in the build up:

The London Development Agency (LDA) estimates that the Games will leave a legacy of up to 9,000 new homes in the Olympic zone, more than half of them in the Olympic Village itself. The construction of the Olympic facilities will provide thousands of jobs in the area for years before the Games, and the LDA is working to ensure that local people will have the skills to make the most of these opportunities. The 2012 Games themselves will provide jobs and volunteering opportunities for Londoners, and the influx of spectators will produce a boost for the hospitality industry across London. The Games will be an international showcase for London's culture and creativity as well as a magnet for business, jobs and tourism. The effects of London 2012 will be felt long after the Olympic flame has left the capital.

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Major Developments are under-way at the following:

• Olympic Stadium - an 80,000-seat venue also to be used for opening and closing ceremonies
• Olympic Park Arenas for volleyball, handball, basketball, fencing, and pentathlon holding between ,000 and 12,000 spectators
• Aquatics Centre with 50m and 25m pools
• Velodrome for cycling with seating for 6,000 spectators
• BMX circuit - purpose built for the newest Olympic event
• Hockey centre - a competition pitch and a warm-up pitch in a 15,000-seat outdoor arena
• Wembley
• Wimbledon
• Lord's Cricket Ground for archery
• Horse Guards Parade for beach volleyball
• Regents Park for softball, baseball and cycling
• Hyde Park for the triathlon
• Eton Dorney for rowing, flatwater canoe/kayak
• O2 for gymnastics and basketball
• ExCel Arena for weightlifting, taekwondo, table tennis, boxing, wrestling and judo
• Greenwich Arena for gymnastics and badminton
• A temporary indoor venue with 6,000 capacity
• Greenwich Parkequestrian for modern pentathlon
• Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich for shooting
• Broxbourne for canoe/kayak (slalom)
• Weald Country Park for mountain biking
• Weymouth in Dorsetfor sailing
• Hampden Park, Old Trafford, Villa Park and St James' Park for football
• Aquatics Centre in London’s Lower Lea Valley
• Battersea Power Station
• London Bridge Tower
• Channel Tunnel Rail Link
• Crossrail

The focus of the London 2012 Games will be the Olympic Park in east London, which will house the new sport venues. The Park is located in the Lower Lea Valley - an area of great untapped potential. After the Games the area will be transformed into the largest urban park created in Europe for more than 150 years.

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The Olympic Stadium

The innovative Olympic Stadium design allows for an 80,000 seat athletics stadium to be converted into a more easily maintained 25,000 seat venue after the Games.

• A 20m-high 'wrap' will encircle the 900m circumference of the Stadium
• Artists will create a large mural on the wrap of historical sporting champions, participating countries flags and sponsor logos, giving the Stadium its distinctive appearance

Where is it?

The Olympic Stadium will be at the south of the Olympic Park on an island site surrounded on three sides by waterways, within easy walking distance of the Olympic Village and warm-up facilities.

Getting ready

Construction officially started on the Stadium on 22 May 2008. Prime Minister Gordon Brown was on site to see the work begin and meet some of the workers. Over the next few years over a thousand workers will help build the venue.

The Stadium is beginning to take shape. More than 100 columns, each 5m tall have already been constructed to support the podium of the Stadium's west and south stands. This also forms the lower ground floor of the West Stand, which houses athletes's changing rooms and other back of house facilities.

The foundations for the Stadium are also nearing completion with more than 3,500 of the 4,000 permanent piles installed in the ground.



The Stadium timeline:

• July 2006: search starts for build and design team
• Oct 2006: negotiations begin with Team Stadium
• Feb 2007: Olympic Board gives statement on legacy
• July 2007: demolition starts on Olympic Stadium site
• July 2007: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Team Stadium
• Nov 2007: concept designs launched
• Dec 2007: Stadium site clearance completes
• April 2008: contract signed and Team Stadium take over site
• May 2008: construction started
• 2011: construction finishes in time for test events to take place before the Games

During the Games

The Olympic Stadium will be at the heart of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. All Athletics events will take place in the Stadium as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, watched by millions of people around the world. It will have 25,000 permanent seats and 55,000 temporary seats that will be removed after the Games.

After the Games

After the Games, the Stadium will be transformed into a 25,000 capacity venue that will host a variety of sporting, educational, cultural and community events. It will be a venue for memorable sporting moments during 2012, but it will continue to add value to the local community for years to come.


Sources: VisitBritain, Mintel, nVision quantexpress