Olympics to leave London with super-park legacy

After Beijings Birds Nest stadium, many questioned Londons ability to offer something equally as spectacular for the 2012 Olympic Games – but a press release from the Games organisers has proven otherwise.

The city is set to have a new super-park built which will stretch to over 100 hectares (65 football pitches) and will link the events main venues.

The Olympic Stadium, Velopark, Aquatics Centre and multi-sports area will all be linked by the huge green space.

It will include a set of gardens known as the London 2012 Gardens which will take up the half mile between the Aquatics Centre and the main stadium.

Containing over 250 species of plant life, the gardens will provide inspiration to the UKs garden enthusiasts to get into their greenhouses and get to work by celebrating the UKs rich horticultural history.

The park will also help wildlife to flourish in east London by providing over 700 artificial habitats for everything from otters to bats.

Over three kilometres of waterways will be revamped, with five main ponds being available to visitors, who will no doubt enjoy the waterside location for watching the Games unfold on giant screens.

London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games chief executive officer Paul Deighton said the park will be the Games legacy to London.

"We are creating a stunning urban park for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games that will come alive as the centrepiece of our plans in just over three and a half years time," he said.

"The range of settings created within the Olympic Park will enable more people to be part of the celebrations and the action in the summer of 2012 and mean we will leave a wonderful legacy for the residents of East London and the rest of the capital."