Building’s analysis of London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics continues with the plans for housing provision
The housing element of the £4bn Stratford City scheme in east London, which is to double as the Olympic village, may have to be delivered earlier than the developer had planned if London wins the 2012 games.
If the International Olympics Committee votes for London on 6 July, developers will start work on the design and construction of the athletes’ village. Half of this will lie on Stratford City land, which borders the Olympic site.
The Olympic village is being jointly developed by the London Development Agency (LDA), which is responsible for delivering the Olympic complex. The village will cater for 17,300 athletes and officials. After the games it will be remodelled into 3600 predominantly rented homes.
Without the Olympics, the housing scheme would probably not be built by 2012. David Joy, planning director at London and Continental Railways, Stratford City’s development partner, said: “We would have built the housing anyway, but the Olympics will alter the speed of the programme. There is an issue because after the Olympics there will suddenly be thousands of units coming onto the market at the same time.”
This will also mean hastening the development of the Lea Valley district, which lies to the north of Stratford International station.
The commercial and retail district to the south of the station is planned to be developed first and will be completed by 2010.
The Olympic village, which has planning consent, will consist of 12-storey buildings, even though the IOC stipulates that sleeping quarters for athletes can be no higher than eight storeys.
To overcome the restriction, the top four floors will be fitted with fitness and briefing rooms until after the games.
Joy said: “The village structure will be the same but the interiors will change after the games. We will also make more land available to the LDA for the village if it is required.”
Stratford City Developments, a Stanhope, Westfield and Multiplex partnership, has been working with the LDA for 18 months to ensure that the infrastructure requirements of the Olympics fit into the Stratford City programme.
Mark Wenlock, project director at Stanhope, said: “The infrastructure advantages will be flowing in both directions. For example, there are three sites in close proximity that require a substation. It makes much more sense to have one large one to serve all our needs.”
The LDA and Stratford City Developments also have to ensure Stratford International Station caters for the arrival of thousands of spectators.
How you can help
More than 1 million people have signed up to back the London 2012 bid, but Lord Coe’s team still needs more support. Readers can register their support at www.london2012.org or text the word “London” to 82012.
Please keep a tally of how many staff in your company sign up, and email the details to lbond@cmpinformation.com. Companies that register the most votes will be mentioned in our running coverage of the bid.
The construction industry’s role in backing the bid will be the theme of this year’s Building Awards, to be held on 26 April at the Grosvenor House in Park Lane. Over the next few weeks, Building will be examining what a successful London bid would mean for the industry.
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