London Calling The opportunity
In less than five years the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be over, and the process of bringing their legacy to life will begin.
London's bid to stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games was not just about how well the city can organise a sporting event, but what remains once the event is over.
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the first sustainable Games that are entirely focused on delivering lasting benefits for the host city and host country, as well as the people that live, work, play and invest there.
It's a once in a lifetime opportunity – and we intend to make it count. The 2012 Games will change the face of London and its communities, forever.
In legacy, the 246 hectare Olympic Park and surrounding areas will deliver five new permanent sporting venues, 40,000 sustainable new homes, over 100 hectares of open park space, 20km of roads, 580,000 square metres of the most high-tech office space, and a distinctive and vibrant place for people to live, work and play.
The Olympic Park presents an unrivalled opportunity for businesses, entrepreneurs and investors to take part in creating a new urban quarter of communities, parks, residential and commercial space; and sporting and cultural facilities.
This area of London is already served by five international airports flying to 530 destinations. By 2012 it will benefit from 10 rail connections including a fast, direct service to Paris and Brussels; a seven minute journey to central London; upgraded underground and overground lines linking the capital and it's surrounding regions. Also new M25 London ringroad access points and upgraded river links are in development. By 2017, Crossrail, the largest civil engineering project in Europe, will link the area directly to Heathrow via Canary Wharf, the City and central London.
The infrastructure, the transport and the people will all be in place. Think of the 2012 Games as the opener for the spectacular regeneration of the gateway to London and the start of a long-term, mutually-rewarding partnership.
