Post Games
Transformation

Now the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are over, the Park is closed while work is underway to transform it into London's newest destination. It will open to visitors from July 2013, with the first residents moving into East Village in late summer 2013.

People should be able to start enjoying the Park as soon as possible, so it will open in phases as sections are completed. First up is the North Park. It will open in July 2013 – one year after the start of the Games.

The ‘When’ section of this site explains in detail what needs to be done before the Park can reopen. Changes will impact every part of it in some way, with the work happening in three phases:

1. Clear – Removing temporary Games-time structures

Everything in the Park is currently tailored to the Games – a unique concentration of sporting events and spectators. Not every structure will be kept in place after the Games, and some will need to undergo structural changes to get them ready for the general public –17,500 spectator seats won’t be needed for family swimming lessons.

2. Connect – Linking the Park with local communities

The Park needs to work seamlessly within its surrounding communities; integrated via new footpaths and cycle ways along with new bridges and underpasses.

3. Complete – Building the future facilities of the Park

Putting in place the new features that will make the Park an unmissable world-class events destination.

  • The amount of open parkland will double to 102 hectares.
  • A further 2,000 trees will be planted alongside ten hectares of meadow, new lawns and two large allotment sites.
  • A new plaza on the South Park will be built, with a visitor centre, shops andrestaurants.
  • The North Park will contain landscaped parkland, and a community hub with one of the UK’s most imaginative playgrounds.

People should be able to start enjoying the Park as soon as possible, so it will reopen in phases as sections are completed. First up is the southern section of the North Park. It will re-open on the 27th July 2013 – exactly one year after the start of the Games.

KEY DATES
Spring 2014
September 2012

Park closes after London 2012 Paralympic Games

After the Games the Park is going to close completely for a while, so transformation work can be carried out as fast as possible. This means locals and visitors will have access to the new Park more quickly.

End 2012

Connect: View Tube and access along the Greenway

The Greenway and Viewtube will reopen as a place to watch Park developments taking place.

Now – Summer 2013

Clear: Temporary Bridges

Some of the Park’s bridges will go, as visitor numbers change.

 

Clear: Removal of temporary seating wings at Aquatics Centre

Removing the Aquatics Centre wings will reduce the seating from 17,500 to 2,500.

 

Connect: Waterden Road

The new Waterden Road will give access to Park facilities and the surrounding areas of Hackney, Leyton and Stratford.

 

Complete: Build of North Park Hub

The Hub will be a community centre dedicated to nature, in the green landscape of the North Park.

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Summer 2013

Opening: North Park and Copper Box

The Park will begin to come to life with the first major opening of a sporting venue – the Copper Box.

Multi use arena
 

Complete: East Village ready for living

The Park’s first housing development will open from summer 2013 in the area that started life as the Athletes' Village.

January 2014 – Spring 2014

Complete: Lee Valley VeloPark transformed for legacy use

Lee Valley VeloPark will be transformed for public use, with alterations to the cycle circuits as well as the surrounding amenities.

 

Complete: Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre transformed for Legacy use

New state-of-the-art facilities in the North Park.

 

Opening: White Post Lane and Carpenters Lock

These routes provide key access to the facilities on the Park, for the local communities.

 

Opening: Waterways

Before the London 2012 Games, the Lee Valley’s historic waterways were cleaned and refurbished.

 

Complete: Build of the South Park Hub and Plaza

The South Plaza will be Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s main destination for events, culture and entertainment.

Build-South-Park-Hub-And-Plaza
 

Connect: Bridges into the local communities

A series of new bridges will stitch the Park back into nearby communities.

When-Page-Bridges_into-Local-Communities-small
 

Opening: South Park

When the South Park and Hub reopen, the Park will be ready to host the full range of events it is designed for.

Opening-South-Plaza