Five new housing neighbourhoods that will be built on the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park were named today following a public competition.

Almost 2,000 people entered the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s ‘Your Park, Your Place’ competition which gave people the chance to shape the future of the Park.

Suggestions were based on the future designs of the neighbourhoods, the Olympic Games itself and the historical uses of the various areas such as gunpowder mills and former factories. The Legacy Company’s website gave visitors a guide to each neighbourhood, including a historical tour, to help them get a feel for the areas.

Today (Tuesday 2nd August 2011), a judging panel met at the View Tube overlooking the Olympic Park in Stratford to pick the winning names.

They are:

Area 1 (north-east of Park) – Chobham Manor

Suggested by Gary Davidson-Guild from Lambeth, London, as a reference to Chobham Manor and the Manor Garden Allotments.

Area 2 (north-west of Park) – East Wick

Suggested by Oliver O’Brien from Hackney, London, because it is east of Hackney Wick.

Area 3 (south-west of Park) – Sweetwater

Suggested by Kevin Murtagh from Reading, as a reference to the area’s former sweet factory, along with its waterways.

Area 4 (south-east of Park) – Marshgate Wharf

Suggested by Stephen Davies from St Albans, as a reference to the original marshes in the area.

Area 5 (south of the Park) – Pudding Mill

Suggested by Dave Arquati from Wandsworth, London, after the area’s historic connection to the Pudding Mill River.

     
You can find our further information on each of the five new neighbourhoods on our updated interactive map on this website: /competition/

Andrew Altman, Chief Executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, said:

“Today the public has given a new piece of London its identity, where communities will grow in five new neighbourhoods, alongside the spectacular venues and open spaces created for the Games.

“Our ‘Your Park, Your Place’ competition has proved to be a great way for people to get involved with our plans to develop the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over the next 20 years.”

Communities Minister, Bob Neill MP, said:

“This competition has been a fantastic opportunity for local communities to take a real sense of ownership of the Olympic Park.

“The names we have chosen today were put forward by local people – who will use this park every single day – and by the wider British public, who have clearly taken great pride in helping to shape the legacy of London 2012.

“The British public have put their stamp on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, something that will leave a tangible legacy for generations to come.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

“It’s great that these new neighbourhoods will have the stamp of Londoners firmly imprinted upon them, thanks to the enthusiasm and inspiration of those who entered and judged this competition.

“The new names reflect not only the rich industrial history of this quarter of London but also the new future which has been secured by the Games.

“Congratulations to all the winners, who have truly taken ownership of the 2012 Games and who will be intrinsically linked to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park forever.”

    
The judging panel included representatives from the Government, the neighbouring boroughs, Wessex Archaeology, a young athlete from Newham Academy, developer Argent Group and a member of the Legacy Youth Panel from Hackney.

They selected a name for each of the neighbourhoods from a shortlist of 30 entries. The names were shortlisted at an earlier stage by the boroughs, the Legacy Company and the emergency services based on factors including the character of the area, historical referencing and their relation to the area’s diverse communities.

Chobham Manor will be the first neighbourhood to be developed. Located between the VeloPark and the Athletes Village in the north-east of the Park, it will be centred around 800 new homes and 3,000 sq m of community and ancillary facilities, including a polyclinic, two nurseries and a community centre.

Of the other four neighbourhoods: East Wick will be in the north-west of the Park, next to Hackney Wick; Sweetwater near the Old Ford area, in the south-west of the Park; Marshgate Wharf will be between Stratford City and the Stadium, to the south-east of the Stadium; and Pudding Mill will be near Pudding Mill Lane Station.

Over the next 20 years they will accommodate up to 8,000 new homes, supported by a network of new schools, nurseries, health centres and community spaces, sitting alongside the sporting venues and 6.5 km of waterways and open spaces, that will host a range of cultural and sporting attractions.

The homes will combine tradition and innovation with the development including modern versions of London’s traditional Georgian and Victorian squares and terraces, as well as riverside properties. Up to 35% of them will be affordable housing, in-line with the Mayor’s London Plan.

The five new neighbourhoods will open in phases to the public from 2013, with families moving into the first new homes in 2015.