12 years after the London Games, cranes continue to work in the Olympic Park, where many buildings are still under construction. Promises of “affordable” accommodation are far from being fulfilled in a highly gentrified neighborhood.
The London Olympic Games, often remembered as a great success, took place partly in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the British capital, Stratford, in the eastern district of Newham. The area had been the heart of London’s industry in the 19th century, but after the decline of the 1960s and 1970s, only pollution and a poor population remained.
In the bid for the Games, the promise was clear: The Olympic Games would “directly” improve the conditions of its inhabitants, with thousands of new homes, mainly social, being sold at “affordable” prices.
More than a decade later, new residents continue to arrive at the park to occupy brand-new buildings.
Julia Johnson, 33, moved two years ago with her partner, after living in the center. “The apartments are well built, the neighborhood is pleasant“, he says while walking his dog.
There is a wide variety of cafes and sports halls, not forgetting the large swimming pool left over from the Games. The park is a paradise for runners and walkers. A huge shopping center was also opened and, from 2022, a new metro line will allow you to reach the center in a quarter of an hour.
The Victoria and Albert Museum will soon open a cultural section in the park, as will Sadler’s Wells, a reference in dance, or the BBC music studio. Universities also set up shop.
But all of this has a cost.
Julia pays £2,300 (2,663 euros) a month for a two-bedroom apartment, a similar price to a two-bedroom apartment in the capital’s central districts.
“In other buildings, there are friends who pay 3,000 pounds (3,494 euros) in rent“, he adds. Many of these neighbors work in the high technology sector.
Ocean of poverty
“Penny Bernstock, a researcher at UCL University, criticizes the lack of affordable accommodation in the Olympic Park.
In total, around 12,400 houses were built, of which around a thousand are social housing – less than 10% – according to figures from the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), responsible for remodeling the Games venues.
“When you think about the money spent, the promises made to the local population in bidding for the Games, it is a scandal“, he adds, highlighting that the park has undergone “gentrification” to become an “island of wealth in an ocean of poverty”. Newham’s other neighborhoods are among the poorest in London and England.
Narjiss Kadiri, a 45-year-old housewife, lives just outside the Olympic Park. She rented an apartment with her husband and five children, for which she first paid 1,000 pounds (1,164 euros), then 1,400 pounds (1,630 euros).
His rent rose to £1,800 (€2,000) when he left two years ago, having secured a council flat for £600 (€698) after waiting 18 years. “Many couples I know have given up and left London“, she says.
Dilemma
In Newham, rent prices increased by 58% between 2012 and 2019 and 20.3% between 2020 and 2023, the biggest increase of any London borough.
In 2023, the average rent for an apartment was £1,850 (€2,155).
“These increases are particularly problematic given the incomes of Newham residents”, says Penny Bernstock, who highlights the “Games effect”.
Mark Robinson, director of the LLDC, recognizes the dilemma with the Olympic Park: “You invest a lot of money in an area, the value of the land goes up, which increases rents and the people we wanted to help can be excluded from the program.”
But in Stratford, construction will continue for another 15 years, with thousands of “affordable” homes, he adds.
And for the Newham borough as a whole, the Games can also bring “positive things”, Bernstock acknowledges, such as “the very good schools” that have opened in recent years.
Or the decrease in crime around Stratford. “The area is much safer than it was before the Games,” says Narjiss Kadiri.
