DX London

The London Legacy Development Corporation has unveiled its plans for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

London’s Olympic  Park looks far from becoming a ghost town once the frenzy of the Games is over. Transformation work on the 2.5 square kilometre space is set to begin almost immediately after the 2012 Paralympic Games, with a July 2013 the projected date for the opening of the first stages of the Park’s redevelopment into a new community hub.

By 2030, the London Legacy Development Corporation – the organisation responsible for the planning and development of the Olympics site – has revealed its scheme for the site, aiming to transform the Olympic Park and its surroundings into “London’s newest destination” by 2030.

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, has described the Park and surrounding area as “London’s single most important regeneration project for the next 25 years.”

The London Legacy Development Corporation forecasts over 20,000 residents inhabiting the area by 2030 across five distinct neighbourhoods. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park could provide up to 11,000 new homes and up to 10,000 new jobs in a multi-use zone.

The Park promises to set a benchmark in sustainable city living – buildings will be designed to meet “green” credentials; power will be provided by a purpose-built sustainable Energy Centre, and water will be recycled and redistributed across the precinct.

Work on the site will start rolling out in mid to late 2013, with a series of sporting and cultural events already in place to continue the legacy of the games. Six of the eight venues have their future secured (the Aquatics Centre, Orbit, Multi-Use Arena, Olympic Village, Velodrome and Eton Manor) and work is currently in progress to secure the Stadium and Press Centre.

The key to the Olympic Park’s future success will, of course, be its connectivity to the rest of London. From 2017, nine rail lines will serve the Park and thirty bridges in and around the Park will “stitch” the precinct back into neighbouring communities.

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, has called the £300 million project “one of the boldest urban transformations in the world – building on the best of London to become one of the city’s great places.”

What do you think of the plans for the Olympic Park? What pitfalls does the project need to avoid? Let us know in the comments below.