London 2012 must work hard to live up to legacy promises 17/02/2010 |
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London 2012 organisers have been warned they are in danger of “missing a historic opportunity” to help some of Britain’s poorest communities.
The Economic Development, Culture, Sport and Tourism Committee said in a report that the new Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) may not have either the time or the funding to achieve its much-talked about legacy aims.
The London Assembly committee wants ambitious targets set on the number of local people who will be employed on the park following the Games and has called for all venues to be made available for community use to stop them becoming “white elephants”.
Committee chairman Dee Doocey said: "Time is running out and we are in real danger of missing a historic opportunity to transform some of Britain's most deprived communities.
"My concern is that unless there is some dedicated funding put in, I can't really see how a lot of the aspirations can be turned into achievements."
She continued: "Too few jobs have gone to local people, there is a tiny percentage of apprenticeships, no guarantee that the housing will go to local people rather than wealthy newcomers and, in my view, a high risk that many of the Olympic venues could become white elephants if something isn't done."
Doocey believes the biggest challenge facing the OPLC will be deciding what to do with the Olympic Stadium. West Ham's new owners recently signalled their desire to move into the stadium following the Games but the committee added: "The arrival of a Premier League football team in the middle of the Olympic Park may affect the character of the park and its surroundings.”
An OPLC spokesman said the organisation welcomed the report: “The development of a new metropolitan area that is integrated with its surroundings and provides employment and sporting opportunities for local people, along with securing a viable legacy use for the Olympic venues, are among the fundamental aims of the company which we are laying down in our corporate plan."
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