I've learned that the Olympic Park Legacy Company is looking at a figure of around 8,000 homes as it works up its masterplan for the Olympic Park - a substantial reduction from the 10,000 to 12,000 proposed in the London Development Agency's original legacy master-plan framework - drawn up by architects EDAW, KCAP and Allies & Morrison in early 2009.
That is no great surprise given the OPLC's stated focus on revising the original masterplan to focus much more on family housing.
The original LDA plans envisaged between 10,000 and 12,000 homes in six village developments with just one providing low-rise family homes.
The OPLC has publicly talked of around 10,000 homes so far.
But sources close to the legacy body tell me: "There will be some high-rise housing but only around transport nodes. These are exciting plans with a focus on quality family housing and significantly reducing the number of units originally proposed."
It all makes a lot of a sense when you consider how ghostly the nearby Royal Docks is in the daytime after the area's commuters leave their high-rise blocks for work in central London or Canary Wharf.
Making less sense is the continued lack of clarity on the new government's attitude towards a deal transferring the Olympic Park from the LDA to the OPLC without the associated debt.
The Standard writes that the mayor claims the review of the deal is threatening legacy.
Let's hope something can be tied up in time for the upcoming "two years to go celebrations" at the end of this month.
Oh that housing legacy!
Of course, it has to be pointed out the housing on the Stratford City site, the Athletes' Village, was going to be built anyway as planning permission had already been granted before the Olympics took over the land.
And then there is the much forgotten demolition of homes for a thousand or so people at the Clays Lane and Park Village sites which should be counted in the calculation of net housing gain.
At one time much of the Athletes' Village, that is the housing, was going to be built at Clays Lane. Residents at Clays Lane did point out that it could all be put on Stratford City but the masterplanner thought a railway running through the site posed a security problem. Residents wondered why and lo and behold the masterplanner suddenly saw it could go there after all. Later the masterplanner scratched his head and couldn't remember anything about it.
The LDA went on inisting there really wasn't any double counting but the ODA just agreed there wasn't really a legacy from the Village after all as the housing was going to be built anyway. They were even kind enough to put it in a FoI response.
Julian,
Can I ask you where are all these Clays Lanes residents gone? Have they been housed together or seperatley, as i know this was a strong community.
Thank you,
Caroline Murphy