London 2012 Olympics Organizers Plan Park on Site After Games

The organizers of London’s 2012 Olympics are planning to transform half the site of the games into the largest park developed in the city for 150 years.

The area will measure 100 hectares (247 acres), similar in size to Hyde Park, follow the River Lea in east London and be completed around 2014. It will include gardens, meadows and wetlands, paths for walking and cycling and sports fields, the Olympic Delivery Authority said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.

Hyde Park, once a hunting ground for King Henry VIII, covers 142 hectares in central London. The city’s Olympic Park, which will include the main athletic facilities, is being built in a former industrial area surrounded by some of London’s poorest neighborhoods. It’s Europe’s largest public construction project.

“Our world-leading design team will help develop our plans to transform this former industrial area into a thriving park that boosts sustainable and active living, creates new wildlife habitats and anchors the regeneration of a neglected part of east London,” authority Chief Executive David Higgins said.

The 1,000-hectare Richmond Park is London’s largest, while Regent’s Park is 166 hectares.

The authority picked LDA Design and Hargreaves Associates to design the parkland. LDA Design is based in London and Hargreaves Associates is based in San Francisco.