ODA acquires freehold of Stratford City Olympic land

The Olympic Delivery Authority today announced the conclusion of the transfer of the freehold of the Stratford City development lands, a critical safeguard for the delivery of key Olympic facilities.

The freehold has transferred from English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency. No cost has been incurred for this transfer by either the ODA or the Olympic Project as a whole.

David Higgins, Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, said:

"The Olympic Delivery Authority has now concluded the legal agreements for the freehold of the land at Stratford City required for key Olympic facilities such as the Village. This is an important announcement as it cements a key safeguard in the delivery of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

"In January an agreement was concluded with London and Continental Railways [LCR] and Stratford City Developments Ltd [SCDL] that moved some facilities, including the Olympic Village, on to the Stratford site. We continue to work constructively with Stratford City lead partner London and Continental Railways and SCDL to deliver the facilities which we need for the Games but which are now also part of their project.

"If, for any reason, progress on these facilities does not move forward in the way currently envisaged, the safeguard is there to protect the interests of the Olympics as we now own the land."

The transfer of land took place with the full agreement of LCR and their lead development partner SCDL. The agreement in place between all the partners involved gives SCDL rights to draw down Stratford development land to build their project, Stratford City, and the agreed Olympic phases. It also sets out delivery milestones which must be met for the Olympic project.

Notes to Editors

• English Partnerships held the freehold on a temporary basis from January prior to the formal establishment of the ODA, which happened on 1 April 2006. Prior to this, the freehold was held by the Secretary of State for Transport.
• The Olympic Delivery Authority is a statutory corporation set up under the London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006.

Media Enquiries

Contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Press Office on 020 3 2012 700