oh my god, GREAT idea!!! :Dthen you can go shopping, if you're not in the mood for olympics!! :D :D LOVE IT. (:

It'll be great to have some decent shops in Stratford at last.But it's disingenuous to suggest that the Stratford City shopping centre is "a huge vote of confidence in the London 2012 Games". It was already planned before our Olympic bid was won.

"which will create one of the largest shopping centres in Europe" Wow, its going to be huge!! Bigger than the MetroCentre?

Thats brilliant! It will create a lot of business for the economy, and will help benifit the local area.

Dear dgThanks for your comment on my blog. You are quite right to say that the shopping centre was planned before the Games. The point I was trying to make was that in the current economic climate very few developments are going ahead as companies are choosing not to invest. Westfield’s decision to proceed was only enabled by the ODA’s decision to invest up to £1/2 bn in infrastructure linking the Stratford site to the surrounding community.The fact that Westfield have pressed on with their investment and remain committed to Stratford City is obviously linked to the fact the Games will be taking place in 2012. As you say – it will change the shopping experience at Stratford and be an important part of the regeneration of the area.Thank you for your interest in London 2012.David Higgins, Chief Executive, ODA