New east London end

Newham mayor convinced the Games site will change the way the world see East London. He tells Cecily Liu why.

Beijing's Olympics transformed the world's perception of China forever, but one legacy London hopes to create with its Olympics is starkly different.

It is the regeneration of East London's Stratford, an area blighted by poverty, neglect and pollution from industrial activities of the past until London won its Olympic bid seven years ago.

Newham includes the 250-hectare park which now has the Olympic Stadium at its heart. [Photo/Xinhua]

"It seems to me that China wanted to show itself to the world and that was successful, so I think China got the legacy it wanted," says Robyn Wales, mayor of the London borough of Newham, which contains Stratford district and much of the Olympic Park.

Robyn Wales, mayor of the London borough of Newham.

"We are an area of poverty, and I want Newham to be a place for people who work, a place where people can bring their kids up in a decent place," he says.

According to Wales, his borough is the second most deprived in Britain and life expectancy is several years lower than in wealthier central London - hence, "convergence" with the rest of London is the legacy he hopes to see.

In the last few years, Stratford's appearance has been transformed by the building of the Olympic Park, which cost the British government 9 billion pounds (more than $14 billion).

The opening of Westfield, Europe's largest urban shopping mall, on the edge of the Olympic Park last September has also put thousands of locals back to work.

Regeneration also includes transport infrastructures, like the upgraded underground lines, high-speed trains, and cable cars.

The challenge now, Wales says, is to ensure Stratford's newfound vibrancy continues beyond the Olympics. In particular, he hopes the Newham government's achievement of helping 5,000 locals find jobs last year can be repeated every year for a decade.

"If we keep it going for the next decade, then we will see a change for our people - and the Olympics and all the investment will have been worthwhile," he says.

After the Games, the Olympic Park will be developed into a new community that includes schools, nurseries, community spaces, health centers and 6,800 new homes, creating 8,000 permanent jobs in the process.

To be reopened as the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the area is expected to include technology companies, a base for university campuses and a new tourism attraction.

The fate of the Olympic stadium is still to be decided, with local Premier League football club West Ham among four bidders who want to move in after the Games.

But the aquatic center will become a community swimming pool, and the velodrome will become a local cycling venue, known as the VeloPark.

The blocks of flats where athletes are housed will provide 2,800 new rental homes from next year in a development named East Village.

Russian beach volleyball players practise inside the Olympic athletes village in Stratford, East London. [Photo/Agencies]

The press and broadcast center will be transformed into a new complex with 91,000 square meters of business space, available for businesses to rent.

Wales describes the Games as the "opportunity of a lifetime", especially for local youth who are desperate for work. "What we are really proud to show in our area is our people," he says.

Wales, who went to see the Beijing Olympics four years ago, was "very impressed" with the show that his Chinese hosts put on - though he hopes London will be able to take better advantage of its Olympic facilities after the Games.

He now encourages Chinese businesses and investors to visit Stratford, and to help develop the area or open offices in the new blocks available.

"We are keen to get Chinese investment. We have an area a third the size of Manhattan to develop. There are lots of opportunities, so come and develop it," he says.

Contact the writer at cecily.liu@chinadaily.com.cn