On 6 July 2005, the International Olympic Committee named London as the host for the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in 2012. The regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley, a deprived part of East London, was an important part of the London bid for the games. Urban regeneration has been a significant element in previously successful Olympic bids and in the planning for other major sporting events, such as the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. It is hoped that the very high level of investment for the games will set off a positive chain of cumulative causation, bringing permanently higher living standards to the area.

‘The London Games in 2012 will be far more than just a four week festival of sport. They will be quite simply the most sustainable ever – leaving a lasting legacy of jobs, homes and environmental improvements for East London, London and Britain’.
Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London.

‘The Games will lift our international profile, attract inward investment and boost profits and jobs for everyone’.
Sir Digby Jones, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry.