London Legacy Development Corporation

The Legacy Corporation is responsible for delivering one of the most important Olympic legacy promises made in the original London 2012 Games bid. This pledge concerns the physical legacy of the Games – the long-term planning, development, management and maintenance of the Park and its impact on the surrounding area after the London 2012 Games.

It is our task to transform and integrate one of the most challenged areas in the UK into world-class, sustainable and thriving neighbourhoods.

This will create a new part of the city in east London – an inclusive community, a thriving business zone and a must-see destination where people will choose to live, work and play, and return time and time again.

We are a Mayoral Development Corporation and therefore directly accountable to Londoners through the Mayor of London. We work closely with a number of organisations including the Mayor of London, the Greater London Authority, central government, the east London Host Boroughs, residents in neighbouring local communities, local organisations, businesses and regeneration agencies and national and international sporting, cultural and leisure organisations.

The Community Energy Network

The construction of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (Olympic Park) for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games included a commitment to provide a combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) generation facility and heating and cooling distribution networks on the site. This was part of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the London 2012 Games and in particular was designed to deliver substantial carbon savings in line with the London Plan and progressively tighter government legislation. The network was designed to serve the London 2012 Games and the legacy development of the Park. It also serves Stratford City.

The Community Energy Network was realised by means of a 40-year Concession Agreement with the combined aims of achieving competitive energy prices for consumers while making it easier and more cost effective for development to meet carbon reduction targets. The Concession was procured by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) by means of an OJEU procedure. When it became operational in 2010 it was the largest single investment in a district energy scheme to have been made to date in the UK.

The CCHP facility and associated district heating and cooling networks were constructed under a finance, design, install and operate Concession awarded to a subsidiary of ENGIE S.A, East London Energy Limited (ENGIE). The duration of the Concession is 40 years (from July 2013), and ENGIE has exclusive rights (and obligations) to supply heating energy within a defined Concession Area that includes the Park and Stratford City.

The London Legacy Development Corporation has taken over the ODA’s role as Employer (jointly with Stratford City Developments Limited – the developer of Westfield and adjacent areas). The Employer role includes oversight of the operation, performance and pricing of the Concession, as a quasi-regulator, together with an obligation to procure a replacement Concession upon termination of the current appointment.

Planning Commitment for Heat Networks

The London Legacy Development Corporation is the Planning Authority for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and for surrounding areas, and its Local Plan Policy S.3: Energy infrastructure and heat networks states that:

The Legacy Corporation will support proposals to provide new energy infrastructure, including proposals to generate energy from waste, to meet the future energy demands within its area where these are consistent with the Carbon Reduction and other policies within this Local Plan.

Proposals for new heat networks or extension to any existing heat network, or for renewable energy infrastructure, to serve development within or outside the Legacy Corporation area, will be supported subject to such development proposals being consistent with all other relevant policies in this Local Plan and should provide evidence that appropriate management mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that end customers are protected in respect of the price of energy provided and that heat losses from the network are minimised.

Applications for major development should demonstrate that opportunities to connect to existing energy networks in the Legacy Corporation area or construct and connect to new energy networks, and to facilitate connections from existing development to those networks, have been maximised through provision of localised network connections and through provision of heating and cooling network infrastructure within buildings, where it is viable to do so.

All other development will be encouraged to connect to these networks where it is practical, feasible and viable to do so.

Proposals for bridges, will be required to demonstrate that provision is included to accommodate utilities networks, including where appropriate, heating and cooling network pipes.