Olympic Media Centre Set For Development

Plans have been approved for the former press and broadcast centres of the London 2012 Olympic Games to be transformed into a ‘world-leading creative and digital cluster’, and could create as many as 7,500 jobs.

The planning committee of the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), responsible for the regeneration legacy of the Games, has given the green light to iCITY’s plans to create the hub – which will be known as Here East – in the Olympic Park.

iCITY say Here East will bring global companies together with east London’s most innovative start-ups under one million square feet of space.

According to media reports, Here East will offer some of the ‘most advanced digital infrastructure in the world, including almost unlimited bandwidth connectivity and the highest capacity power’.

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is home to Olympic and Paralympic venues including the Aquatics Centre – which is set to open its doors to the public later this week.

Of the 7,500 job opportunities, more than 5,000 will be on-site jobs, with 2,200 created in the local community.

iCITY is a joint venture between Delancey, a specialist real estate investment and advisory company, and data centre operator, Infinity SDC.

Here East plans to choose its preferred contractor in March, with construction work on the former press and broadcast centres beginning in the summer.

The development will be made up of three main buildings: a 300,000 sq ft innovation centre; a 1,000 seat auditorium; and a 850,000 sq ft building housing educational space, broadcast studios, office space, and a state-of-the-art data centre.