Olympic Park Set For Tech Hub

13 Oct 2015 | tshego

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London’s Olympic Park is set for a new technology hub next summer, capable of housing at least 5,500 people from startups and businesses.

Following the Games in 2012, the Park has seen a number of changes, with the Olympic swimming pool now open to the public and the Stadium now rented to Premier League side West Ham United.

The new development, named Here East, will be a giant new technology centre consisting of two large buildings, designed by architects Hawkins and Brow.

The media buildings are reported to have cost around £355m and offer one million square foot of commercial space between them.

The broadcast centres used during the Olympics will be at the forefront of the project and will mean Here East will have some of the best connectivity infrastructures in the UK.

CEO, Gavin Poole is optimistic that he’ll be able to attract technology businesses despite it being a mile from the closest London Underground Station, Stratford.

He added: “There’ll be four shuttle buses running between Stratford and Here East that will meet demand.”

BT Sport has already moved into the Olympic Park, agreeing a ten-year lease in 2012. The sport’s channel currently has three TV stduios, a control centre, 20 edit suites and an audience holding area at Here East.

University College London (UCL), Loughborough University, and Hackney Community College are also going to be tenants at the facility.

The universities plan to open research and development facilities, while Hackney Community College plans to offer digital apprenticeships in partnership with BT Sport.

The developers hope that a theatre, shops, bars, a microbrewery, and restaurants will also take up residence at Here East.

One of the site’s key features will be the Innovation Centre, which was due to open in July 2015, but now has no official opening date.

The centre will include a 45,000 square foot inclubator, a coworking space and managed offices, with CEO Poole saying Here East will have some further announcements on tenants in the next few weeks.