How we listened
The development of the Legacy Communities Scheme has been a three year programme with a supporting involvement programme including both a series of time-bound events and activities and a series of ongoing activities. The time-bound events were designed to take place at specific times within the LCS programme when the design team was most in need of stakeholder input and when the opportunity for stakeholders to influence the development of the LCS was greatest.
Below is a summary of the key issues raised during the involvement programme and how they have influenced the final LCS.
What you said
Top public concerns
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How we have responded in the
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Houses not flats“The area really needs good quality family housing that meet the needs of a diverse community; houses with their own front door and garden, instead of all these flats. But – it has to be affordable!” |
In the Legacy Communities Scheme we have adjusted the plans to increase the focus on quality family housing, reducing the amount of one and two bed flats. The new plans now show more housing made up of terraces, mews and squares, with their own front doors and gardens. With the right mix of apartments and houses, located close to the facilities that communities need to develop and grow, the Park will have the foundations to become a thriving, vibrant new piece of city.
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Better local links“This area now has great transport links but the Park has to be easier for local people to get to and safely across. The area can’t become a barrier again like it was.” |
We believe links with existing communities are really important. Bridges, walking, cycling and road routes into the Park for those who live in the communities nearby are a key part of the LCS. Ultimately, we envisage that our plans as part of the LCS should help to re-connect the Park with its surrounding areas, and help “stitch” communities back together again. The LCS and the wider Park area will include:
We have also recently taken on members of Design for London who worked on the “Fringe Masterplans” – development plans for the areas immediately around the Park – and this has helped ensure improved integration with the areas surrounding the Park. In addition, the Park will be one of the best-connected destinations in London. Nine rail lines will serve the Park, with the potential for extra connections to mainland Europe, as well as the planned Crossrail stop at Stratford Regional Station from 2018. |
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A well managed place“It’s really important that the new parklands and open space must be well maintained so they stay of a high quality and are safe and accessible for people to use.” |
The LCS forms part of the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. We will manage the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as one whole area, to ensure that everything across the Park is co-ordinated and maintained to a high standard. The public spaces in the Park, outside of the LCS planning application boundary will develop into two distinct areas: North park The north park will form a landscaped river valley, including a range of plants, trees and wildlife, as well as wetlands and green areas. Bridges will connect both sides of the river and link the local neighbourhoods to an undulating and beautiful landscape. South plaza The south plaza - the area surrounding the Stadium, the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Aquatics Centre - will be an exciting urban setting. The area will be paved, with planned fountains, potential art installations and an ever-changing flow of activities and events. We will also adopt an inclusive design approach throughout. We are in the process of procuring our Estates and Facilities Management (EFM) contractor. This EFM contractor will work closely with us and in line with our priority themes, to ensure the Park is managed and maintained to an excellent standard. |
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Sustainability“Better and clearer communication of the sustainability work you’re doing is needed. You’re not explaining the good environmental features or parts of this new place well enough.” |
Sustainability has always been an important part of the preparations and planning for the Games. The London Legacy Development Corporation is in the unique position to inherit this infrastructure including a combined heat and power (CCHP) energy centre, non-potable water and submersion of power cables. We are now working to ensure that the benefits of the sustainability infrastructure are maximised long into the future. More detailed information on our approach to sustainability with the LCS planning application are outlined in the Sustainability Statement (LCS-GLB-ACC-SS-001). As part of our commitment, we are in the process of developing our Corporate Environmental Sustainability Policy in recognition of this being one of the priority themes for the London LegacyDevelopment Corporation. We will also need to work hand-in-hand with our operators, future developers and residents to help change the lifestyles of those who use the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. |
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Neighbourhood names“Some of the names you suggested for the new neighbourhoods don’t feel right. Please don’t use existing names for new areas as this would be confusing.” |
In response to this feedback, we held a public competition asking anyone interested to suggest names for the five new neighbourhoods identified within the LCS. |
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Neighbourhood character“Its important to make sure that new neighbourhoods have a sense of place and feel like somewhere you like to be.” |
We have refined the design and character for each neighbourhood through further defining the street network and diverse residential types that will allow for realisation of Lifetime Neighbourhoods. We are producing design guidance for each of the neighbourhoods to ensure both the buildings and public realm are of a high quality and robust character. |
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Tall buildings“There are already lots of big towers and buildings around the Park. While a mix of building types and sizes is important, it would be good to have more low rise development in the Park to avoid the whole area feeling too built up.” |
With our increased focus on family-friendly neighbourhoods, we have reconfigured the heights of many of the taller buildings proposed within the LCS, particularly around Planning Delivery Zone 1, known as Marshgate Wharf. This should improve views and sight lines and help the Park feel more open. |
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Better use of waterways“We’d like to see more use of and activity on the waterways.” |
Alongside the LCS, the London Legacy Development Corporation is developing a waterways strategy, working closely with British Waterways to ensure maximisation of the waterways for ecology, recreation, sport and transport. We are also exploring the possibility of residential and visitor moorings. | |
Play provision“To help neighbourhoods function well, its important to think about the play facilities that are on offer.” |
We are keen to develop more family-focused neighbourhoods as part of the LCS. As part of this, we have introduced more pocket parks and local ‘doorstep’ play facilities have been introduced within the new neighbourhoods. Play is also a key element within the design briefs for the new north Park hub to be developed. The LCS is proposing the following play provision
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Good community facilities“To help make this a great place to live, new houses will need new facilities like schools, doctors and play areas to be built nearby so that everything is on the doorstep.” |
We are intending to provide 12 new local schools and nurseries and 3 health care centres throughout the five new neighbourhoods within the Park. In addition to this, we are also working towards providing community centres, an Ideas store, play spaces, local shops and Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs). We are also looking to build on models that work well within the surrounding areas to help integrate existing and new communities, benefitting not just the people living within the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, but also those around it. |
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Faith in the Park“Faith is really important in this area, a multi-faith centre will not work. Smaller local facilities would be better.” |
In response to the consultation, we are no longer proposing a multi-faith centre on the Park. We are therefore exploring possible options for faith facilities on the Park but these will need to be appropriate to need and to scale. We will continue to engage with faith groups in order to explore how faith provision in the Park could be brought forward as part of future development where appropriate. Therefore, the LCS has instead made provision for a number of multi-purpose community centres, which could accommodate faith uses. This will be subject to a separate procurement process, which would not preclude faith groups. |
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Future of the venues“What is happening with the venues after the Games? “Will communities be able to use them? “How will they be managed and funded for the long-term?” |
The London Legacy Development Corporation outside of the LCS planning application (venues are outside of the application boundary) is presently running a number of procurement processes simultaneously to find operators for all of the venues after the Games, to ensure we have the right operators in place and venues that maximise value for money and serve both the needs of elite sport and the local communities. The Multi-Use Arena and the Aquatics Centre will be owned by the London Legacy Development Corporation and operated through a management company or companies, which are yet to be determined. We intend to have operators in place for all the venues by 2012, making London the first host city to achieve this. All of these venues will have a strong emphasis on community and access. Equality and Inclusion priorities have also been built into the procurement processes. Eton Manor Sports Complex and the VeloPark will be owned, managed and operated by our key working partner, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. |
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Access after the Games“When will we be able to use the Park after the Games?” |
The redevelopment of the Olympic site, its venues, infrastructure and future neighbourhoods will take place in the years following the 2012 Games and will be phased over a considerable period of time spanning approximately 18 years. The London Legacy Development Corporation has recently announced that it will be taking on the responsibility for the “transformation” of the Park. ”Transformation” is the period of construction immediately after the Games, when Games-time temporary venues, back of house facilities and surplus roads & bridges are removed. We will work to ensure that the Park can open again as soon as possible after the Games. This is likely to be as part of a phased re-opening of the Park from summer 2013. |