London 2012 organizers have made changes to the Olympic Park, which have been approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The changes involve adjustments to the location of the Olympic Village, media centres and the temporary coach and car park site on Fish Island.
Under the new plan the Olympic Village where the athletes will be housed, will be more fully integrated with the Stratford City Development. It is also where there will be housing once the Games are over. The change will allow earlier construction on the Village since the land is already prepared and remediated for development.
The International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre is being moved from their proposed location in Pudding Mill Lane into the Park security cordon, improving security and providing a better platform for media activity with improved views of the Park and London’s skyline, says London 2012.
David Higgins, Chief Executive designate of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), said the revised plans improve quality and security of the Olympic Park site as well as construction times.
Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) said “the changes will bring the facilities closer together within the Olympic Park resulting in an improved lay-out that will make the site even more secure for all users, including athletes and spectators as well as visitors, staff and community groups.
The Olympic Park project will create thousands of new jobs and affordable housing and help to transform large sections of physically deprived land in the east London area into revitalized and sustainable communities, says a London 2012 release.
Higgins said, “it is inevitable that there will be changes in delivering a project of this scale, but what is vital is that opportunities to strategically enhance the operation and long-term use of sites like the Olympic Park are identified as early as possible and this is what we are focussing on”.
