New images released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) today show the new homes and community facilities taking shape in the Athletes' Village, two-years since construction work began.
The Athletes' Village, which lies adjacent to the Olympic Park, will accommodate athletes and officials during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the Games the Village will deliver the legacy of 2,818 new homes for east London, of which 1,379 will be affordable, owned and managed by Triathlon Homes. The new homes will be built across 11 residential plots and will be joined by new parks and open spaces.
Construction work started on the Athletes' Village in June 2008 and three-quarters of the residential plots in the Village are now structurally complete. The structure of the world-class new education campus being built in the Village, Chobham Academy, is coming out of the ground with the second floor of the four storey building now structurally complete. Earthworks are also now underway on the site of the state-of-the-art new Polyclinic in the Village that will provide healthcare facilities for existing local communities and the new residents that will live in the Village after 2012.
ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: "Two years on from the start of construction on the Athletes' Village and the project is firmly on track with the legacy of quality new homes for Londoners taking shape. Together with the new homes we are building, the progress being made on Chobham Academy and the Polyclinic site also shows the education and healthcare legacy we are delivering at the heart of the Village plans."
Seb Coe, Chair of London 2012 Organising Committee, said: "Delivering a first-class Athletes' Village is an essential part of the support we will provide for athletes to ensure they can focus on giving the performance of a lifetime at the London 2012 Games. The Village will be one of the key features of the Olympic Park and the new homes and community facilities being built will be another part of the powerful legacy the Games will leave the local area."
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: "With these images we are starting to see just what the Athletes' Village will look like in 2012. The top-quality accommodation that will be home to athletes will also become a cornerstone of the East London community long after the Games are over, providing iconic new housing for thousands of people."
The 11 residential plots in the Athletes' Village are each made up of 6 - 8 buildings built in a rectangular layout around a traditional courtyard area. After 2012, the Village will leave a lasting legacy and a new community in east London including:
New Homes for Londoners
- 2,818 new homes in legacy including 1,379 affordable homes
- Family housing with nearly 1,000 three and four bed homes
New parklands, courtyards and open space
- Courtyard areas with gardens, play areas and open space
- More than 10 hectares of new parks and open space
- New public squares, tree-lined streets, and landscaped courtyards
A world-class education campus
- Chobham Academy, with 1,800 places for students aged 3-19
- Nursery, primary and secondary schools, including a sixth-form with adult learning facilities
- Day Care Facilities for children from 0-5 years old, located on the school site, and fully integrated into the nursery and lower school
- A sports facility for the Academy and the community
A state-of-the-art Polyclinic
- Community facilities and healthcare facilities co-located in a four storey 5,000 sq metre building with car parking and cycle spaces
- Full range of primary healthcare services run by NHS Newham including multiple GP surgeries, outpatient activity, physiotherapy services, a children's clinic and diagnostic facilities including X-ray and ultrasound
- Other healthcare facilities including dentistry, optometry and ancillary services
The structures of all 11 residential plots in the Village will be completed later in the summer, with the external cladding works well underway and the internal fit-out of the buildings starting. The Athletes' Village is due for completion in early 2012.
Triathlon Homes (a joint venture company established by First Base and housing associations Southern Housing Group and East Thames Group) has purchased 1,379 of the new homes in the Athletes' Village which will become available as affordable housing after 2012. The aim is to create affordable, high quality homes for local people which are intrinsic to the regeneration of the area and to ensure a successful legacy for Stratford and the wider east London community after the Games.
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