Savills Magazine, Issue 61, 2008

Field of dreams

The creation of the Athletes’ Village in Stratford presents the opportunity to design a huge new part of London

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The world will be watching as a swathe of bare land in East London is transformed into 3000 units of contemporary urban housing, from flats to three-storey townhouses, towers to nine-storey apartment blocks. Apart from the unique demands posed by an unmoveable delivery date, the housing will have to serve a dual purpose. By the end of 2011, it will be used as accommodation for Olympic athletes but, ultimately, it has to deliver enduring housing for the community. However, planning buildings that may not be lived in permanently until 2013 begs the question: “What will people want in five years?”

Savills has been involved with the site for years, long before the London Olympics was even dreamt of, and now the company is advising on design. “When we originally came in, the site was just a very large urban project with a 20-year or 30-year development programme,” says Mark Dorman, Director of Development Consultancy at Savills. “What is exciting for Savills is that this is an opportunity to design from scratch an entirely new area of London.”

Contact: Sarah Heard
+44 (0)20 7016 3844