London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Feb 09, 2026

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park: The legacy London 2012 promised

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park: The legacy London 2012 promised

In an Olympic history strewn with white elephants, London looks set to create a genuinely impressive physical legacy out of the 2012 Games.

What was once a heavily polluted industrial wasteland, peppered with electricity pylons and invaded by Japanese knotweed, is now a tranquil landscape of wetland, woodland and wildflower meadows.

More than a million visits were made here in the year before Covid-19.

The curved architecture of the Aquatic Centre still dominates the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park


The aquatic centre, on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, was built for the Games and for future elite competition. It is also now a community pool with few equals.

Together with the Copper Box Arena - where there's a gym and exercise studios, and a sports centre for badminton, netball and basketball - these are facilities being used mainly by local people paying typical prices for east London.

Prices are kept down by an annual subsidy of more than £2m from the taxpayer, which legacy officials say won't change when operating contracts come up for renewal.

Wild flowers and trees are seen beside the pathways within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

The former main Olympic venue area was controversially re-landscaped from an old industrial estate


Of course, the centrepiece is the London Stadium.

It costs more than £100,000 for each match West Ham United plays here - because of a deal made by Boris Johnson as mayor. A deal later branded as "poor" by independent auditors.

It means the Premier League club rents the venue at a concession, with ownership and financial responsibilities remaining in public hands.

On the other hand, the presence of an anchor tenant ensures life and vitality. It is difficult to put a price on that.

This is a physical legacy which is unfinished - after all, it's only been 10 years.

The London Stadium reflected in a bubble before the a West Ham match

Now the home of West Ham United, the London stadium has hosted a number of guest events


Cranes tower over the park, accompanied by the hum of constant drilling as a new arts, cultural and academic quarter takes shape.

East Bank is due to emerge in stages over the next few years, which officials say will bring big economic returns and jobs, skills and training.

The London College of Fashion is on track to move to a single campus here in September 2023, housing 5,000 students. Next door, the Sadler's Wells dance company is due to open its new venue shortly afterwards. The first courses at UCL's new campus start this September, when its new student accommodation will also open.

The V&A is creating a storage facility and a new museum.

The BBC, which once disappointed legacy officials by discarding plans to bring the production of EastEnders to the park, is due to build new music studios here by 2025.

Sadler's Wells, home to London's famous dance company, has built a brand new, multi-purpose venue located in the park

Sadler's Wells' new venue will form part of the East Bank development alongside the London College of Fashion, the V&A, UCL and the BBC


The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) - the mayoral agency driving regeneration - admits these developments may have squeezed out affordable housing, but the plans ensure a diverse and sustainable vision for the future.

It estimates, that through additional council tax and business rates, the park and surrounding area delivers £75m a year now. The projection is that by 2040 it will be £200m per annum.

There are also the economic benefits that do not appear on the official balance sheet.

Two Major League Baseball matches in 2019 brought in an estimated £37m through tourism.

On his recent trip to the US, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced more big baseball events, starting next year.

The 2022 Netball Quad Series was held at the Copper Box Arena

Two games of Major League baseball were played at the London Stadium in 2019


But investment comes at a price. Debts continue to rise. And last year there was a £35m gap between spending and income - a gap plugged by continuing contributions - via the mayor - from London taxpayers.

Next year the gap is expected to be about £32m, the following year £28m. As the building is completed and the new institutions open that gap should disappear.

One of the biggest legacy challenges was to find a use for the 2012 press and broadcast centres - but that is now taking shape in the form of Here East. Currently at 90% capacity, it provides jobs or studying facilities for 4,500 people.

It is the headquarters of BT Sport, and has become a hub for gaming, cyber-security and digital start-ups, as well as for social enterprises and design companies.

The LMA music and performing arts college and four universities have also opened campuses.

A 25m-tall specially-commissioned digital artwork, Aurora Arbour, was the tallest LED Christmas tree ever built in London

Sadiq Khan opened the London Blossom Garden in the park, which features 33 blossoming trees - one for each London borough - for people to "contemplate and reflect on the impact of the pandemic"


Lyn Garner, chief executive of the LLDC, said the agency's "bold vision" brought investment to the area which wouldn't otherwise have come for decades.

"Thousands of new homes have already been built with thousands more still to come - many of them affordable. Thousands of high value jobs are relocating to the area. We're working with the local boroughs and colleges to make sure young people have the skills and training to fill the vacancies."

London, she says, is now seen by cities and regeneration projects around the world as a blueprint for Olympic legacy.

But legacy is measured in decades not years. It is too early to deliver a verdict on the dividends provided by London 2012.

Nevertheless, many of those involved in the project feel what has so far emerged represents a solid foundation - and suggests a bright future.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China and UK Signal Tentative Reset with Commitment to Steadier, Professionally Managed Relations
UK Confirms Imminent Increase in ETA Fee to £20 as Entry Rules Tighten
UK Signals Possible Seizure of Russia-Linked ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker in Escalation of Sanctions Enforcement
Epstein Scandal Piles Unprecedented Pressure on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Leadership
UK’s ‘Most Romantic Village’ Celebrates Valentine’s Day and Explores the Festival’s Rich History
The Implications of Expanding Voting Rights to Non-EU Foreign Residents in France
Ghislaine Maxwell to Testify Before US Congress on February 9
Al.com Acquired by Crypto.com Founder for $70 Million
Apple iPhone Lockdown Mode blocks FBI data access in journalist device seizure
Belgium: Man Charged with Rape After Faking Payment to Sex Worker
KPMG Urges Auditor to Relay AI Cost Savings
US and Iran to Begin Nuclear Talks in Oman
Winklevoss-Led Gemini to Slash a Quarter of Jobs and Exit European and Australian Markets
Canada Opens First Consulate in Greenland Amid Rising Geopolitical Tensions
China unveils plans for a 'Death Star' capable of launching missile strikes from space
NASA allows astronauts to take smartphones on upcoming missions to capture special moments.
Trump administration to launch TrumpRx.gov for direct drug purchases
Investigation Launched at Winter Olympics Over Ski Jumpers Injecting Hyaluronic Acid
U.S. State Department Issues Urgent Travel Warning for Citizens to Leave Iran Immediately
Wall Street Erases All Gains of 2026; Bitcoin Plummets 14% to $63,000
Epstein Case Documents Reignite Global Scrutiny of Political and Business Elites
Eighty-one-year-old man in the United States fatally shoots Uber driver after scam threat
UK Royal Family Faces Intensifying Strain as Epstein-Linked Revelations Rock the Institution
Political Censorship: French Prosecutors Raid Musk’s X Offices in Paris
AI Invented “Hot Springs” — Tourists Arrived and Were Shocked
Tech Mega-Donors Power Trump-Aligned Fundraising Surge to $429 Million Ahead of 2026 Midterms
UK Pharma Watchdog Rules Sanofi Breached Industry Code With RSV Vaccine Claims Against Pfizer
Melania Documentary Opens Modestly in UK with Mixed Global Box Office Performance
Starmer Arrives in Shanghai to Promote British Trade and Investment
Harry Styles, Anthony Joshua and Premier League Stars Among UK’s Top Taxpayers
New Epstein Files Include Images of Former Prince Andrew Kneeling Over Unidentified Woman
Starmer Urges Former Prince Andrew to Testify Before US Congress About Epstein Ties
Starmer Extends Invitation to Japan’s Prime Minister After Strategic Tokyo Talks
Skupski and Harrison Clinch Australian Open Men’s Doubles Title in Melbourne
DOJ Unveils Millions of Epstein Files, Fueling Global Scrutiny of Elite Networks
France Begins Phasing Out Zoom and Microsoft Teams to Advance Digital Sovereignty
China Lifts Sanctions on British MPs and Peers After Starmer Xi Talks in Beijing
Trump Nominates Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair to Reorient U.S. Monetary Policy Toward Pro-Growth Interest Rates
AstraZeneca Announces £11bn China Investment After Scaling Back UK Expansion Plans
Starmer and Xi Forge Warming UK-China Ties in Beijing Amid Strategic Reset
Tech Market Shifts and AI Investment Surge Drive Global Innovation and Layoffs
Markets Jolt as AI Spending, US Policy Shifts, and Global Security Moves Drive New Volatility
U.S. Signals Potential Decertification of Canadian Aircraft as Bilateral Tensions Escalate
Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee Sentenced to 20 Months for Bribery
Tesla Ends Model S and X Production and Sends $2 Billion to xAI as 2025 Revenue Declines
China Executes 11 Members of the Ming Clan in Cross-Border Scam Case Linked to Myanmar’s Lawkai
Trump Administration Officials Held Talks With Group Advocating Alberta’s Independence
Starmer Signals UK Push for a More ‘Sophisticated’ Relationship With China in Talks With Xi
Shopping Chatbots Move From Advice to Checkout as Walmart Pushes Faster Than Amazon
Starmer Seeks Economic Gains From China Visit While Navigating US Diplomatic Sensitivities
×