Designing the Park

In less than four years the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be over, and the process of bringing their legacy to life will begin.

The physical legacy of the Games will be greatest in East London. Five major sports venues, the Olympic Village, and the International Broadcast Centre and National Press Centre, will be converted for legacy uses while the Olympic Park will be adapted for long-term use as a public park. Over time, it will be fringed by new mixed-use neighbourhoods offering homes, jobs, shops, and cultural and leisure facilities for local people. The new energy generated by this transformation will help boost economic revival across East London.

But what sort of places will these new neighbourhoods be? How will they fit around and work with the Olympic Park and venues? How will they make new links with existing neighbourhoods? Who will invest in these areas and build them? How will they be managed?

Addressing these questions is all part of the legacy planning process.

The legacy planning is separate from the program of designing and building for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the legacy planning only focuses on what will happen after the Games are over. However, the plans for both the Games and their legacy are closely linked so that we can make the most of what is created before 2012 and ensure a smooth transition after the Games. By starting the process now, and involving a wide range of stakeholders from the beginning, we can get the very best ideas from local people, developers and investors and avoid unnecessary delays after 2012. This is the beginning of a long-term process planning the future of the Olympic Park and its surrounding areas, and we want you to be part of it!

From January 2008 until autumn 2009, the London Development Agency and other legacy partners will be leading a team of specialists to deliver this legacy design work. The legacy plans will ensure the area gets the right mix of homes, shops and businesses, as well as sports, arts, entertainment, health and many other facilities.

Defining this balance of activities, along with what the buildings, roads and other infrastructure will be like after the games, will help create a lasting place for people to live, work, play and visit.

Follow the links below to find out more about particular aspects of the process:

Future Olympic Park: how we are planning for the future of the Park

Around the Park: what plans are being drawn-up around the Olympic Park and how that affects the plans for the Park

Meet the Team: how the various teams fit together and who is doing what

Have Your Say: why discussing plans with local people is so important and how you can get involved