Bringing legacy to life

Planning, 5 September 2008

With the Beijing Olympics done and dusted, all eyes turn to London and its preparations for the next games in 2012. At the handover in China, the capital's mayor Boris Johnson promised a "fantabulous" games. But without a clear legacy plan and with less than four years to prepare, what benefits can London and other parts of the UK expect once the big event has passed and what will the planning process leading up to it entail?

In January the London Development Agency (LDA) - the organisation responsible for the post-games transformation of the 246ha Olympic site and surrounding areas - chose three firms to develop a legacy masterplan framework for the site. The group, comprising Allies and Morrison, EDAW and KCAP, held its first public consultation in June. It is collating feedback and plans to publish development options next month.

After further consultation, it aims to finalise options by Easter and lodge an outline planning application by the summer. LDA group director for Olympic legacy Tom Russell explains: "The legacy masterplan framework, which is predominantly a spatial plan for the Olympic Park, will be an important part of a wider regeneration strategy for the site and beyond, but will not be its totality."

While a comprehensive plan is yet to be determined, known benefits for Londoners after the games include a 110ha park, five permanent sporting venues and office space for creative industries. An urban quarter for residential, commercial, infrastructure and community developments will be supported by improved cross-city links including a Docklands Light Railway extension and an upgrade to Stratford Regional Station.

The games will accelerate London's expansion eastwards, catalysing the regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley. This is expected to deliver up to 50,000 jobs and 40,000 new homes. The park alone will provide 11,000 jobs and 9,000 homes, with much of the athletes' accommodation converted into homes for key workers such as teachers and nurses.

The sports facilities will be adapted for use by sports clubs, the public and elite athletes. West Ham United and Leyton Orient Football Clubs are among those lining up to take over the stadium, which will be reduced to a 25,000-capacity venue. Riverside housing, shops, restaurants and cafes will provide new community amenities and there will also be a network of canal towpaths, footpaths and cycleways. The first piece of physical sporting legacy - a cycling centre in Redbridge - opened last month.

"The games will speed up regeneration of Newham, east London and the Thames Gateway, providing hundreds of jobs and business opportunities before, during and after 2012," says Sir Robin Wales, mayor of the London Borough of Newham, one of the five host boroughs.

But the current legacy vision is no bed of roses. Olympics minister Tessa Jowell has commissioned accountancy firm KPMG to examine controversial plans for three proposed venues over their cost, impact and minimal post-Olympic legacy.

For instance, British Shooting, the sport's governing body, argues that a temporary venue in Greenwich will cost up to £26 million but leave it with nothing after the games. It prefers a site at Dartford, where a permanent international-standard centre, which the UK lacks, could be built.

Elsewhere in the UK, however, last year's approval to improve marine facilities at sailing venue Weymouth and Portland Harbour has kick-started the regeneration of a former naval air station. Now known as Osprey Quay, residential, commercial and boating facilities are in hand, including a 600-berth marina. Hundreds of Olympic venues and pre-games training camps have been announced across the UK and will benefit from improvements such as the white water and canoe slalom at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.

Despite these proposals, London's mayor has stressed the urgency of bringing forward a clear legacy plan. An Olympics Legacy Board will be established shortly to speed up the process. As chairman of the Olympic Park regeneration steering group, Johnson also recently launched the London Calling initiative, challenging developers across the world to pitch their park ideas.

"I am calling on investors and organisations around the world to come forward and surprise us with ideas that can preserve the memory of the games while creating a new focus for London's eastward growth," Johnson says. "We are looking for ideas on how the Olympic Park can become not just a great place to live, work and visit, but a place that retains a flavour of the extraordinary."

London Calling is being delivered by the LDA, whose chairman Harvey McGrath adds: "Whether it is an attraction, event or iconic development, we want ideas that can complement and enhance our ambitions for Europe's largest urban regeneration project." The best will be incorporated in the emerging masterplan.