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Sunday 8th November
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 Regeneration  One of London’s most deprived areas is now guaranteed to receive a massive boost in terms of regeneration, thanks to the city's successful bid to host the games. At the heart of the campaign will be the new Olympic stadium and village in Stratford, east London. At least 3000 new jobs and 4,000 homes will be generated in the surrounding areas, giving a much needed facelift to a borough with one of the highest crime and unemployment rates in the country. Chief Executive of the London Development Agency, Michael Ward believes this successful Olympic bid will "transform a neglected and run-down part of east London and kickstart the regeneration of the wider Thames Gateway, creating thousands of new jobs in the process.” The Olympic village is likely to be located at Mill Meads and will accommodate almost 20,000 people for the 17 day period. This means a housing project on the scale of a small town, which would hopefully be converted into low-cost housing. Dilapidated Hackney Stadium, once the greatest greyhound track in the world, could be the site of a new Olympic arena. Transport has been crucial to the success of the bid. Stratford is already well-served by four Tube lines and there has been speculation that events may be held at off peak times to ease the burden on the ageing network. This would suit the television schedules of countries such as America and Australia. The Crossrail project is the bid’s biggest potential benefit. The proposed £15 billion rail link will connect Heathrow with Stratford. Winning the bid is the best thing to happen to the area since the opening of Hackney Empire. But Hackney Mayor, Jules Pipe, counsels caution: “We need to look beyond the Olympic Games to focus on delivering the regeneration the borough needs and ensuring facilities built for the Olympics will contribute to this. Only then would such a scheme lead to a lasting regenerative legacy for Hackney.” |
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