When London won the bid for the 2012 Olympic Games it promised they would be 'the greenest Games ever'. Part of that promise was to leave a beneficial legacy to improve people's lives in east London.
The focal point of the Games was the Olympic Park in the Lea Valley. This was where the main sporting venues - the stadium, aquatics centre and velodrome - and Athletes' Village was located.
Before 2012, the Lea Valley was run down, semi-derelict area, once home to some of London's industry.
Semi-derelict (run down).
Once home to London’s industry.
Closure of London’s docks & decline in the Lea Valley.
Deep-rooted deprivation & low environmental quality. 2001, Newham and Tower Hamlets were the UK’s two most deprived boroughs.
Docklands regeneration had failed to reduce deprivation.
Considerable land was contaminated.
Waster dumping and fly tipping had been ignored or tolerated.
Housing is a particular problem in London. The population is growing and there is a serious shortage of homes. As a result, the cost of housing has gone up and many people can no longer afford to live in the city.
Linking Census date with geography:
The development was planned with sustainability in mind: sustainable design, sustainable construction, sustainable materials and sustainable homes.
Environmental Improvements
Among the environmental improvements left by the Olympics, are:
London's largest new park for 150 years
6.5km of waterway in the Park, cleaned and restored
35km of new paths for cycles and pedestrians
30 new bridges to connect the Park with east London
New natural habitats like grassland, woodland and ponds.
Sustainable Homes - East Village
During the 2012 Olympics, 17,000 athletes lived in the Athletes' Village. After the Games it was renamed 'East Village' and is located within the 27 acres of Queen Elizabeth Park. It is now home for about 8,000 people. A total of 2,818 homes have been created and are a mixture of private, affordable rental and shared ownership.
Here are some of East Village's more sustainable features:
Heat and electricity comes from a single combined heat and power energy centre (biomass) which makes the homes 50% more energy efficient.
Apartments save more energy than houses because less heat is lost.
They are insulated and double-glazed to save more energy. 183,000 tonnes of carbon will be saved annually by the insulation of the homes.
Natural light has been incorporated into the design so that fewer lights have to be switched on inside the homes. Use of LED lights cuts carbon emissions by 5,000 tonnes per year.
Green roofs have been planted on all buildings higher than 100 m. These collect rainwater, provide natural habitat for birds and wildlife, absorbs carbon dioxide and reduces noise.
East Village has a water-recycling project. Water from gutters and roods is reused to keep gardens looking good. Then it is filtered by the wetlands and bought back into the system. Grey water from showers and washing machines is reused for flushing the toilets. A third less water will be used in East Village per person than in the UK as a whole.
Some underground car parking; however, most residents don’t have cars.
Secure parking for bicycles.
Close to most amenities and there are excellent transport links for longer journeys.
Only certified timber has been used in the construction of the village.
East Village is the largest single new housing development in London but it will only make a small difference to the overall housing shortage. However, half of the homes in East Village are called 'affordable' but even some of these will be too expensive for local people.
Economic Change
The Orbit will attract 9 million visitors each year.
iCity will provide up to 4500 jobs in the media and creative industries, e.g. BT Sport.
Olympic Stadium will be used for major athletic events and big concerts.
Job creation and employment, for example Westfield Stratford City's array of shops.
Economic ‘ripple effect’.
30 local independent shops and cafes.
4000 jobs created during construction.
Transport Change
Stratford Station is one of the best connected stations in London. 9 rail links with 195 trains per hour.
Good transport links will ease car congestion and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions.
Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station is a five minute walk away.
15 local bus services.
All London airports can be reached within an hour.
West End is only 20 minutes away.
Newest and safest cycle routes.
Other ways Sustainability has been Considered
Jobs created at the velodrome and shopping centre.
Clobham Academy – school for 3-18 year olds.
Facilities for children including Tumbling Bay playground and Wild Kingdom playground.
Health Facility – Sir Ludwig Guttmann Health and Wellbeing Centre.
Community orchard which adds biodiversity of the area and also reduces the air miles of some food supplies.
42 km of canal walks.
90% of construction waste was directed away from landfill.
Landscaping of the area enables surface run-off to be caught so that flooding risks are reduced.
In May 2011 a rare Black Redstart was found to be nesting on site so construction halted until it had finished nesting.
Wetlands, treetop walkways and Mirabelle Gardens are all areas of green space where wildlife, including Dunnocks and House Sparrows, is encouraged to thrive.