London Calling The plans
London has already commissioned an international team of planners to prepare a blueprint for the Olympic Park site after the 2012 Games. Plans are well advanced to create the biggest urban park to be built in Europe for 150 years. But it's a lot more besides…
The Olympic Village will become sustainable homes, many for key workers such as nurses and teachers. Shops and cafes, schools and clinics will be built to serve them.
Olympic and Paralympic venues will be adapted for community as well as elite athlete use; the park will be planted with thousands of native tree species; waterways will be cleaned and widened, and rail links extended and upgraded.
When the 2012 Games Minister Tessa Jowell first unveiled “Our Promise for 2012” on the gains from the Games, she made five promises:
- make the UK a world-leading sporting nation
- transform the heart of east London
- inspire a new generation of young people to take part in volunteering, cultural and physical activity
- make the Olympic Park a blueprint for sustainable living
- demonstrate that the UK is a creative, inclusive and welcoming place to live in, visit and for business
This isn't wishful thinking. Milestones for each promise have been set and our progress is measured against them right through to 2012 and beyond.
The aim, as Lord Coe said, is to create a lasting legacy for London and the UK that delivers “lasting benefits for future generations all around the country, long after the final race has been run.”
We also want to make space for the unexpected: for the ideas, innovations and partnerships that will maintain the momentum and memory of the 2012 Games, and bring visitors and investment to the area for years to come.
