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The project is really stepping up a gear now, alongside the Olympic Park development, as Westfield aims to have the retail centre open in early 2011. Planning permission has already been granted for a John Lewis Store as well as a Marks and Spencer store.

Two key bridges, designed to significantly enhance future access in that area, were granted approval at a recent ODA Planning Committee meeting and soon we are expecting to be bombarded with multiple applications for various retail and office blocks. In the zones north of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), the Olympic Village is being developed with large residential blocks now coming forward alongside an array of parklands.

It has been fascinating watching the details of the scheme steadily come together from the rectangular and triangular shapes I initially viewed on the layout plans. During the design stages for the buildings, the plans are scrutinised by three independent design, environmental and access panels with the aim of getting the best possible design for each part of the development, while maintaining a holistic overview.

Although the Stratford City scheme was originally envisaged before the award of the Games, the future residents and users of the development will now benefit from being alongside world-class sports facilities and open space provided by the London 2012 legacy. Special care is being taken to ensure that the development will integrate with existing communities around the edges as much as possible. This can be challenging as the site is historically inaccessible, with road and rail creating physical barriers to the wider community. The substantial number of bridges into the site, and the provision of new public transport, should enable the development to fit in extremely well with the existing urban surroundings.