Westfield's plans for Stratford City were a key element of a briefing given to Prime Minister Gordon Brown today by Mr Frank Lowy AC, Chairman of Westfield Group at Downing Street.
Mr Lowy said: "The £1.5 billion Stratford City retail and leisure development has both scale and significance, serving as a gateway to the Olympic Park and delivering real momentum to the regeneration of East London. We anticipate significant transformation flowing from the 2012 Olympics with Stratford City becoming the metropolitan centre of east London."
The Prime Minister, the Right Hon. Gordon Brown, said: "Development in and around the Olympic Park site will bring real benefits to the people of East London, transforming the local area and bringing billions of pounds of private investment into one of the most disadvantaged parts of the UK. Regeneration was at the heart of our bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, so I welcome the excellent progress being made on the Stratford City development."
Also present at the meeting were Mr Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, Ms Tessa Jowell, Minster for the Olympics and London, Lord Sebastian Coe, chairman of LOCOG, Mr John Armitt, chairman of ODA and Mr David Higgins, chief executive of ODA.
The retail development is integral to the Games-related investment in East London. Stratford City will be one of the best connected places in the UK. At the hub of two of the busiest underground lines, an expanded Docklands Light Railway network and the new international high speed rail link to continental Europe, and ultimately Crossrail. It will also benefit from a range of regional overland services, including the improved North London line, and a new bus interchange.
Westfield Stratford City, the 175,000 sq m retail and leisure destination, will be anchored by John Lewis, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer. The development will feature around 300 local, national and international fashion, home and lifestyle brands, as well as a variety of leisure and entertainment experiences and is due to open in 2011.
