Just six months on from the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is already beginning to take shape.

The London Legacy Development Corporation has started the physical transformation of the site and secured a number of events for when the Park begins to open in July 2013. The transformation so far of the Olympic site into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a vibrant new part of the city, is unprecedented compared to previous Games.

Progress includes:

• Nearly all of the temporary facilities provided to support the Games have been removed, including the Riverside Hockey Stadium. Work has also begun to dismantle the Basketball Arena and the Waterpolo Arena.
• Sport will be coming back to the Park this summer with the Olympic Stadium set to host the British Athletics London Grand Prix on the anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. In addition to Badminton England hosting the London Grand Prix at the Copper Box in October 2013.
• Live Nation, one of the world’s leading live entertainment promoters, is relocating two of its biggest music festivals from the centre of the capital and will be staging summer Stadium concerts from July.
• West Ham United has been named highest ranked bidder status for the long term tenancy of the Stadium.
• BT Sport is moving into the International Broadcast Centre and will begin broadcasting from the Park in the summer. And iCITY has been selected as the sole preferred bidder for transforming the Press and Broadcast Centres into a business hub on the Park that will create 4,000 jobs.
• Operators have been appointed for the Copper Box, Aquatics Centre, ArcelorMittal Orbit and the ongoing operation of Lee Valley VeloPark and Hockey & Tennis Centre meaning plans to transform the iconic Olympic venues into world class community and elite sport facilities are already in place. From July the Copper Box will be open and people will be able to join the gym or hire a court in the Box that rocked during the Games.
• In the summer a weekend of music, sport and culture will be held to celebrate the park beginning to re-open, delivered in partnership with The Barbican and CREATE and with a focus on east London communities.
• In August 20,000 cyclists will set off on a 100 mile bike ride as part of RideLondon – a festival of cycling and a professional road race developed by the Mayor of London and organised by The London & Surrey Cycling Partnership.
• Taylor Wimpey and L&Q will begin work towards the end of this year on the first 850 homes on the site of the Basketball Arena.

Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation said:

“It’s only six months since the Olympic Opening Ceremony and our work to deliver on our legacy promise to transform the Park into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is well under way. We started quickly so we’ll finish sooner – the park will begin to open from July 2013 and will be fully open by spring 2014.

“We are making it happen – with plans for events and concerts agreed, operators and tenants for the venues secured, permission to build thousands of new homes granted, and 20 elite sporting championships either won or bid for over the next five years. We are on track to create a top visitor destination and great legacy for east London.”

People can come and see the changes to the Park for themselves by booking a free public bus tour, contact parktours@springboard-marketing.co.uk or call 0800 023 2030.