East Bank at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

London, England

Member Profile

East Bank is a new powerhouse for innovation, creativity and learning on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It is a unique collaboration between world-leading universities, arts and culture institution that opens up opportunities for everyone who visits, lives and works in east London.

The London 2012 Games were a great success but the legacy would always be more than a wonderful summer of sport. Key to the long-term success is the impact of the wider regeneration of the area and the creation of new opportunities for Londoners for decades to come.

East Bank – one of the world’s largest and most ambitious culture and education districts – is central to that long-term legacy creating a powerhouse for artistic excellence, learning, research, performance and exhibitions. It represents a unique prospect for London and a concept that is almost unparalleled on the international stage.

World-renowned universities UCL (University College London) and UAL’s London College of Fashion will join the global cultural brands of the BBC, Sadler’s Wells and the V&A to create this centre of innovation and ambition. This part of London has always been a place of firsts where canals and lock gates opened early industry; rockets and bone china were first fired; and Joan Littlewood transformed theatre into a people’s palace at Stratford Theatre Royal.

Spread across three sites at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East Bank will be at the heart of a growing cluster of commerce, technology, manufacture, retail, education and the creative arts delivering unprecedented new job opportunities in the digital age. It will bring an additional 1.5 million visitors to the Park and surrounding area each year, and more than 2,500 jobs will be created by East Bank – generating an estimated £1.5 billion generation for the local economy.

Key Data

Created: 2018
Joined GCDN: 2017
District Size: 72,899 sqm

Additional Information

Mission

The ambition of the project is recognised in the name – East Bank – which will complement London’s major cultural and education centres, such as the South Bank, the cluster of museums and academic institutions in South Kensington and the Knowledge Quarter around King’s Cross and Bloomsbury. East Bank is supported by the Mayor of London, and part funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.