More than 4,500 jobs will be created at the Press and Broadcast Centres at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park after a deal was announced today for iCity.
London Mayor Boris Johnson and the London Legacy Development Corporation, overseeing the park, revealed this afternoon that the future of the last of the eight permanent venues at the Park has been secured.
Mr Johnson said: “iCITY is the final jewel in the crown of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and as a world class digital hub that will employ thousands of people I’m delighted to welcome them on board.”
iCity, which was set up to transform the Press and Broadcast Centres at Hackney Wick into an enterprise and educational quarter for the digital industry, will invest more than £100million in the project.
Confirmed tenants include BT Sport, which recently challenged rival Sky by launching its new Premier League broadband TV from the Olympic Park, and Infinity, the UK’s fastest growing provider of data centre services. Hackney Community College will also establish a new digital apprenticeship programme at iCITY.
A further 2,000 jobs are expected to be generated in the surrounding area from employees at the centre using buying local goods and services.
Chief Executive of the Legacy Corporation, Dennis Hone, said: “We said from the very beginning there would be no white elephants on the Park - and we’ve kept our promise. Now, by securing high quality tenants in the tech and education sectors, we will be providing thousands of jobs – and we remain firmly on track to deliver a meaningful physical and social legacy for Londoners.”
The announcement follows last month’s news that Premiership football club West Ham United FC will become long term tenants of the Olympic Stadium from 2016 once it has been converted into a multi-use venue.
The other permanent venues are the Aquatics Centre and the multi-sports venue the Copper Box, which will both be operated by Greenwich Leisure Ltd.
Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre along with the Lee Valley Velo Park
will be run by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority.
East Village, the former Athletes Village, is being developed as a residential area while the ArcelorMittal Orbit operates as a visitor attraction.
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