Safeguarding Hackney's Open Spaces Around the Olympic Park

Agreement for Improving Hackney Marshes

Improved facilities on Hackney Marshes before 2012, and new green space within the Olympic Park are significant benefits for Hackney from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

These benefits are included in an agreement between Hackney and London Development Agency (LDA), who own the land on which the Olympic Park is being built.

The agreement brings £4m of local investment.

Here is an overview of the key parts of the agreement.

The Headlines

The main benefits to Hackney by 2013 will be:

new high quality open space within the Olympic Park
new high quality surfaces on many of the football pitches including those on East Marsh
major sports regeneration programme on the Marshes with plans to be finalized by May 2007 after public consultation
this will have £2 million core funding from the LDA and £1 million from Hackney
a further £1 million of environmental improvements on and around the Marshes (called REAP for Recreation and Environmental Improvement Programme)
permanent land connection between the Marshes and the Olympic Park and its sports facilities
replanting of any tree that may be lost on East Marsh based on a replacement plan
a new pedestrian bridge between Gainsborough School and the Olympic Park connecting to useable playing field space
undertakings on joint working to ensure successful relocation for the Traveller families from Waterden Crescent

The Detail

Arena, White Hart and Morris Fields

the Council sells these for a nominal sum
after the Games the Council gets an equivalent amount of land back in terms of size, condition and use value within the Hackney part of the Olympic Park. Hackney pays a nominal sum for it
no specific plots of land are safeguarded, but in the Masterplan there is open space set aside opposite Gainsborough School in the Olympic Park
there will be a restriction on the LDA’s title to the Waterden Crescent Traveller site which will only be lifted when Hackney is satisfied with the open space land provided
the LDA will provide a pedestrian bridge from Gainsborough School to the Park after the Games

Waterden Crescent Traveller site

this is sold at market value – and market value is determined through a process laid down in statute (the Council expects to establish commercial use, but this is not determined in the agreement). The proceeds are a capital receipt to the Council
Hackney agrees to co-operate with the LDA in finding alternative homes for the Traveller families
if Hackney agrees to the LDA buying or using its own land to house Traveller families on, and the LDA gives that land to Hackney, the value of the land will be deducted from the sum paid to the Council for the existing Traveller site
the LDA will cover the Council’s reasonable costs in helping provide sites
ultimately, the LDA will be able to use its CPO powers to require to Travellers to move

East Marsh

Hackney leases East Marsh to the LDA from May 2011 to August 2013 (the dates can be varied by mutual consent, however, there is currently have no reason to believe that these dates will need to change), but Hackney only enters into the lease if there is a land bridge
the LDA will return the playing fields in a condition to play in August 2013
the LDA will put into an account a sum of money equivalent to the cost of returning the fields to playing condition. This money is either returned to the LDA when Hackney is satisfied the fields are in a suitable condition, or is used by Hackney to do the works in default
tree loss should be minimised. There will be a mutually agreed replacement plan for each tree – replacements will be similar in species but not necessarily in age. The LDA must take all reasonable steps to protect the trees not being removed
Hackney will be consulted on the design and location of the land bridge, especially considering the treatment of the undercroft, the minimising of land take, and connectivity with South Marsh, but this will not fetter the LDA’s discretion

Replacement football capacity for the 2 seasons East Marsh is out of circulation

LDA will spend £30,000 on each of 12 pitches which are lying fallow to improve their playing quality (effectively doubling the playing capacity of these pitches). The 12 pitches must be identified by May 2007 and the work completed by August 2009
further enhancements to the playing capacity of other pitches will come from the Marshes Sports Regeneration Strategy. This is to be agreed by May 2007 after consultation

Compensation for loss of open space and amenities

LDA will work with the Council on finalising a sports regeneration strategy for the Marshes which will be subject to public consultation. The LDA will make a major financial contribution to this. If the exact nature of the LDA’s contribution is not agreed by May 2007 they will pay £2 million into an ESCROW account (the second million dependent on match funding from the Council). This money will be ring fenced for spend on the development programme
the LDA will pay a further £1 million into an ESCROW account to be drawn down by the Council against projects for environmental improvement on and around the Marshes (REAP)

Page updated: 15 Jun 2010