Image: The South Plaza area is to open at Easter 2014

Part of the North Park will be the first section of London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to reopen to the public after the 2012 Games, under new plans announced by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).

An 18-month transformation programme will be carried out by the agency in order to "clear, connect and complete" the park for its post-Games use, with the North Park opening on 27 July 2013 - exactly one year after the Olympic Games' Opening Ceremony.

It is the first phase of LLDC's planned opening programme, with acres of parkland and the Multi-Use Arena - a 7,500-capacity entertainment arena - among the first facilities to be made available.

The remainder of the North Park - including the Lee Valley VeloPark and additional access points - will open in late 2013, while the South Plaza - including the ArcelorMittal Orbit and the Aquatics Centre - is scheduled to open at Easter 2014.

LLDC recently appointed a specialist panel of design firms to help shape the future of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, having taken over responsibility for the entire site from the now-defunct Olympic Park Legacy Company in April.

London mayor Boris Johnson said: "Within a year of the close of the 2012 Games, the Park will be ready to welcome not only another major sporting event, but also the thousands of residents and workers who will reap the benefits of this brand new district of the capital."

LLDC chief executive Andrew Altman added: "The transformation will take the park from an Olympic site to a new piece of London that's owned and shaped by the community in and around it. Above all, it will create a place of practical benefit for the surrounding community."

Details: www.londonlegacy.co.uk

Image: LLDC

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