Lyn is the Chief Executive of LLDC

It seems as though summer has gone by in a flash, with many of us now preparing for schools returning, and for gradual returns to the office. Despite the weather being less than desirable for much of August, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has been buzzing with activity – from local children enjoying the return of the water fountains, to eager football fans returning to London Stadium on Monday for the first West Ham United home game of the new season. The Stadium has also recently announced the return of Foo Fighters to the venue in 2022 -  four years on from their debut headline shows – and it’s great to see the return of live music in one of the country’s best-loved multi-use venues. 

Following the end of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the Park proudly hosted an #IamTeamGB homecoming event to celebrate the incredible achievements of Team GB athletes during the Games. Over 5,000 people joined the event to run a ‘lap of honour’ around London Stadium and meet some of their Olympic heroes. It was particularly heart-warming to hear Olympic Diving Gold Medalist Matty Lee speak about how having a world-class facility such as the London Aquatics Centre as a training base helped towards Team GB’s diving success and how special it is to train in a venue alongside the local community. 

Alongside the main event on the Stadium Island, a variety of supporting community events took place across the Park, with attendees able to pre-book taster sessions at London Aquatics Centre and Copper Box Arena and try out new sports for themselves. This what the Olympic and Paralympic Games are all about – inspiring new generations to try new things and fulfil their own dreams. 

While the Olympic Games have ended, the action is only beginning with the Paralympic Games now underway in Tokyo. We’re very proud to have the Global Disability Hub on the Park – an organisation doing some fantastic work on driving forward disability inclusion worldwide, that was born out of the London 2012 Paralympic legacy. Check out or latest podcast and blog to find out more about the incredible work of the Hub, its involvement in the #WeThe15 campaign and new research on lessons learned from London 2012.

In housing delivery news, I’m delighted to share that the Reserved Matters Applications for Phases 2, 3 and 7 of East Wick – totalling 785 homes – was approved by LLDC’s independent Planning Decisions Committee late last month.  This is another step forward in the delivery of a new Park neighbourhood, with all 302 homes under Phase 1 due to complete by the end of August. Once all phases are complete, East Wick & Sweetwater neighbourhoods will offer approximately 1,850 homes – 34% of which will be affordable. I’m also pleased to share that the Pudding Mill masterplan has been shortlisted for this year’s Architects Journal Architecture Awards. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed until the winners are announced on 17 November!

While the East Bank buildings continue to rise up from the ground at both the UCL East and Stratford Waterfront sites, East Bank partners have been busy supporting local community activity on the Park.

Earlier this month, LLDC’s 2021 East Summer School drew to a close. With over 300 local young participants over the course of the two-week programme, this year’s East Summer School was highly attended. This was even more special given it was the first time in two years the school had taken place in a physical setting on the Park after being held virtually last year. I’d like to thank all our East Bank partners BBC, Sadler’s Wells, UAL’s London College of Fashion, University College London and the V&A as well as local partners who continue to support this programme – a key event in the local calendar which inspires and engages local young people with what’s to come on the Park in the future and how they are a key part of this. Watch the highlights and hear from some of the attendees on their experience here.