A MAGNET FOR INVESTMENT
As London's centre of gravity moves east, the potential of Stratford has been recognised by many developers and investors, domestic and international. The east side of London is becoming home to the capital's most desirable places to live, work, play and learn.
As befits Europe’s largest urban development, the area has already benefited from £12.5bn of investment in infrastructure; Westfield has built Europe’s largest urban shopping centre at Stratford City; and IKEA’s property development arm LandProp has chosen Stratford to make its first investment in the UK, an entire neighbourhood of 1200 homes, with a new 350-bed Marriott Hotel, retail and community facilities.
Over on Greenwich Peninsula we already have the O2 Arena with over 30 bars and restaurants, and Ravensbourne, the digital media and design college; the Emirates Air Line will open its brand new cable car service over the Thames in 2012, taking passengers between Greenwich Peninsula and London ExCeL, London’s largest exhibition and conference centre; also in London’s Royal Docks, over seven miles of river frontage boasts London City Airport, the University of East London, and the new Siemens visitor attraction and global knowledge hub - the Crystal.
On the education front, the University of East London and Birkbeck are opening University Square, Stratford - a brand new £33m building - in Autumn 2013. University College London (UCL) is in discussions with the London Borough of Newham about establishing a new campus in the Olympic borough of Newham, to complement the university’s Bloomsbury site.
Living, playing, working, learning London. It's all moving east.