A revised masterplan for the 2012 Olympic Park that reduces the number of businesses to be relocated and places more of the Village on the adjacent Stratford City regeneration scheme in east London was unveiled this morning.
The changes, which have been approved by the International Olympic Committee, increase the amount of athletes’ accommodation to be built on the Stratford City site.
After the Games the accommodation will be converted to housing, either by the Stratford City consortium, which comprises Stanhope, Westfield, the Reuben Brothers and London & Continental Railways, or via procurement to other developers.
The changes also include moving the two media centres from a proposed location in Pudding Mill Lane into the Park security cordon on the Stratford city site. The media centres will now be developed by the Stratford City consortium as part of the second phase of their scheme.
In addition the majority of the Fish Island area will now be released from the London Development Agency’s CPO after plans for a temporary car park on the site were scrapped. The car park will now be resited within Stratford City’s multi-storey car park.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said the agreements allowed construction on the Village to start “earlier than anticipated as this land is already prepared and remediated for development”.
Manny Lewis, chief executive of the London Development Agency, said: “The changes mean that 95 businesses will no longer need to be relocated.
“This will mean that 1,200 jobs will remain. In addition 70 residents will not need to move.”
Lewis added that this would have a “positive impact on the CPO purchase, removing 10% of the land and a number of objections, and making it a less complicated experience.”
Lewis said negotiations with around three quarters of the businesses affected by the CPO were now “well advanced. The outcome of the public inquiry into the CPO remains on target to be confirmed by the Secretary of State in August and vacant possession for the site will be completed in 2007.”
David Higgins, the ODA’s chief executive, said that the changes had been drawn up by the ODA’s EDAW-led design team alongside the Stratford City consortium’s team.
Higgins said the changes had followed negotiations on how the 1.5m sq ft Stratford City shopping centre would “work in permanent and temporary mode”.
Detailed plans for Zone 1, which includes the shopping centre, will be lodged with Newham council in “early 2006”.
References: EGi News 30/01/06
