Culture Secretary praises progress of Athletes' Village as completed apartments surge past 2,012 properties mark

By Tom Degun

October 26 - Jeremy Hunt (pictured), the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, has praised the construction progress of the London 2012 Athletes' Village as the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced that the number of completed apartments on the site had now passed the symbolic 2,012 properties mark.

The Village, which lies adjacent to the Olympic Park, will comprise residential apartments for around 17,000 Olympic and 6,000 Paralympic athletes and officials during the Games, along with shops, restaurants, medical, media and leisure facilities, in addition to large areas of open space.

Hunt was given a tour of the Village by ODA chief executive Dennis Hone (pictured right) and admitted he was hugely impressed with the complex, which is on schedule to be passed over to the London 2012 Organising Committee early next year.


"The Olympic Village looks fantastic, and you can just imagine the energy it will have when 17,000 athletes and staff move in here next summer for the Olympic Games," said the Culture Secretary.

"But what is most important about the Village is that it will be a real legacy from London's Games, by providing affordable and private housing after 2012.

"It is yet another example of how we continue to deliver on our promise to leave behind real and lasting benefits from London 2012."

Hunt was referring to the fact that after the Games, the apartments will be adapted for permanent use, with the plot of land set to be reconfigured to create 2,818 new homes across 11 individually designed plots.

Of the future homes in the village, 1,379 have been purchased by joint venture Triathlon Homes to provide high quality affordable housing.

The remaining 1,439 properties will become private housing after being acquired by a consortium of UK developer Delancey and the extremely wealthy Qatari Diar real estate investment company.

The consortium has also secured six adjacent future development plots with the potential for 2,000 more homes.


"The construction of the Village is on track to be completed early next year," said Hone.

"This is a unique development which combines and integrates private and affordable housing of the highest quality.

"It represents one of the strongest legacies of the Games, building a new community that will enhance our capital city and the lives of its people in the decades ahead."

When the future neighbourhood is complete, it will become one of the best connected parts of the capital with Stratford International and Stratford Regional stations offering links to London's key locations.

Residents will be able to get from Stratford to Kings Cross St Pancras in seven minutes, Canary Wharf in 12 minutes, the West End in 20 minutes and all London airports within an hour.

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