Former culture secretary Chris Smith has been signed up by Ken Livingstone to play a key role in delivering cultural facilities for the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Smith, who was invited by Livingstone take on a central role at the London Cultural Consortium at the start of the year, has had meetings with the five London boroughs in the Olympic zone and Jude Kelly, the chief cultural adviser to the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.

The team collectively forms a cultural forum that is vetting the idea of a post-Games cultural “East Bank”. The Greater London Authority has said that it is aiming to create “a new park, public and cultural realm in the Lower Lea Valley – the East Bank – on a par with London’s South Bank”.

The idea of an East Bank is gaining currency because the five boroughs in the Olympic zone – Waltham Forest, Hackney, Newham, Greenwich and Tower Hamlets – want the Olympics to transform the derelict Lea Valley into an economic powerhouse.

A source close to the process said that the East Bank was not being seen just as a site for cultural venues but was also intended to be a place where the creative industries could relocate their businesses after the Games.

Smith’s role could be in the development of a London Olympics Institute, the aim of which, according to the GLA, was to establish “a creative hub situated at the heart of East and South-east London” focusing on culture, the environment and sport.

The move marks a return to centre-stage for Smith, who many were expecting to be appointed chairman of CABE. John Sorrell instead won the appointment at the end of last year.

The ‘East Bank’ would be where the creative industries could relocate

Smith’s role emerged as it looked increasingly clear that culture minister Tessa Jowell would be appointed government design champion for all public sector buildings, on top of her other responsibilities.

She is believed to be announcing her appointment at the gala ceremony for the Better Building Awards next month.

The news comes as London 2012’s successful bid leader Lord Coe joined Ken Livingstone and Tessa Jowell on stage at the Labour Party Conference this week to stress government support for the Games.

  • Atkins, Arup and Buro Happold are believed to have made the shortlist for the engineering component of the contract to design the Olympic Park, not including the main landmark structures such as the stadium. The tender to find an architect for the work has also been sent out.