In-focus

Sports

Olympics: Host Stratford waits to feel benefits from Games

Dunya News

The Games have totally transformed the landscape in Stratford.

Stratford welcomed the world for the 2012 Olympics, but the deprived London district is still waiting to see whether the biggest show on Earth will bring dramatic long-term benefits to residents.The Games have transformed the landscape in Stratford, creating a park, new flats and Olympic sports venues out of an industrial wasteland in the unfashionable east of the British capital.They also attracted mall operators Westfield to build one of Europes biggest shopping centres alongside a new high-speed rail line.But fulfilling the pledge to revolutionise the social and economic chances of Stratford residents is something that could take decades, rather than months.Games ticket-holders arriving at Stratford station walked through the upmarket, gleaming new mall to the meadows and arenas of the Olympic Park.Had they turned the other way, they would have seen the older side of Stratford.Across the Great Eastern Road, the busy Stratford Centre, a 1970s shopping mall, has 99p stores, cheap stationery shops, shoes for under 10 ($15, 12 euros), mothers carrying their babies, pawnbrokers and the aroma from its fast food outlets.The area is in the London borough of Newham, which often appears towards the bottom on national quality of life indicators, and has one of the highest young populations in Britain.It is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the country: around a third of the population are white British; a quarter are Muslims.London Mayor Boris Johnson said the area was one of the citys most physically fragmented, environmentally compromised and socially deprived districts.For the Games to realise their real promise, Stratford... must grow and improve, he said.Painter and decorator Fred Miller, 56, a Stratford resident of 27 years, said the area would benefit from having hosted the Olympics but wondered whether local youths would take advantage of the new facilities.Id say Stratford is better for it for the fact that its known, he said.Maybe a few more facilities for the youngsters could have been built and make the Olympic venues a bit more accessible to them. The majority would say its not for them.As for the promised revival of Stratford, I believe 80 percent of what they say. There will be a lot of leftover facilities so Im really praying they will put them to good use.Laurence Parrin, who runs a budget watches stall on Broadway, said the Games had little impact on his pocket.There has been an upturn but its been very slight. Business was up by 10 percent which was pretty insignificant because we were working longer hours, he said.Everyone down here thought it was going to be a gold rush but it hasnt materialised.The regeneration of the area can only bring benefits, because Stratford is pretty run-down.For Stratford as a whole, I think it will be good but it hasnt done me personally too many favours.Carol Richards, who works on regeneration issues for the Church of Englands local Chelmsford diocese, said had the Olympics been a disaster, Stratford would have become an unmentionable word.From the local communitys point of view, what was going to happen was completely out of their control, she said.But given the success of the Games -- which cost Britain 9.3 billion to stage -- everyone will have heard of Stratford in a positive way. Businesses are likely to want to move here.She said few locals had found construction jobs on the Olympic Park, but at the Westfield mall, quite a few church members who had been unemployed have got jobs there. Thats given everyone confidence.The key to regeneration isnt building fancy buildings -- its improving the whole economic situation for the residents, she explained.Richards said the hope was that the Games would act as a springboard to raise the area up to the London average, across indicators such as health, education and employment.And while east London will not be suddenly transformed, such changes would improve things significantly.She added: Stratford will be associated with everything positive. In terms of regeneration, thats the best thing that could have happened.