Peter Hendy nominated for LLDC chair role

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has nominated Network Rail boss Sir Peter Hendy to be the new chair of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

Once confirmed in the post, one of Hendy’s first jobs will be to assist the LLDC in taking forward the recommendations of the Mayor’s investigation into the finances of the former Olympic stadium, now known as the London Stadium, which are expected later this year.

Khan said: “Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a unique regeneration project in London, combining sporting venues and a cultural and education quarter with new neighbourhoods delivering genuinely affordable homes.

“Sir Peter will bring unrivalled knowledge and experience to the role and I look forward to working closely with him to make the most of this opportunity to establish the park as a world-class sporting and visitor attraction, as well as delivering jobs, growth and new communities fit for Londoners.”

Hendy said he was “delighted to be given this opportunity to work with the Mayor, the superb LLDC team and all its partners to fulfil the unquestionable potential of the regeneration of this area of east London.

“Having kept London’s transport networks moving during the course of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I am delighted to now have the opportunity help secure the continuing legacy of the park, creating a new area of the city bringing economic growth, thousands of jobs and new homes.”

The appointment of Hendy, who was the former commissioner of Transport for London, is subject to a confirmation hearing before the London Assembly. He will spend two days a week in the job, alongside his current Network Rail position, replacing Philip Lewis, the deputy chair of LLDC, who has been acting chair since the resignation of David Edmonds in November 2016.

Khan’s nomination of Hendy comes months after the former TfL commissioner was criticised for not keeping in check the previous London mayor, Boris Johnson, over the failed Garden Bridge enterprise, which Khan had effectively stymied when he announced he would not guarantee more public funds to be spent on the project.

Michael Ball, of the Thames Central Open Spaces (TCOS) campaign group, told Building in April that it had been Johnson’s job “to come up with chocolate teapot ideas and [Hendy’s TfL] commissioner’s role to say ‘hang on a minute’.”