The world is watching Olympians compete in Rio in a sporting spectacle that has been beset by controversy. Four years ago, eyes were on East London for what even critics of the impact of the Games conceded was a great excuse for a knees-up.
In light of the Hackney Citizen‘s story about legacy bosses displacing artists from an area they themselves designated a cultural quarter, it is fitting to recall a key part of London’s successful bid for the 2012 Games: the Cultural Olympiad, and the creativity the event was to unleash.
People have been making things in Wick and the lower Lee Valley for hundreds of years. The area is a hive of printers, designers and small-scale manufacturers, so it is outrageous the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) should now be betraying its own principles by giving artists the boot.
Health, exercise and a cleaner environment were also meant to feature in the legacy for London. It beggars belief, therefore, that the LLDC is hell-bent on wiping out a cycle-friendly crossing for the benefit of car drivers.
The Games may be long gone from London, but controversy over their real legacy shows no sign of abating.
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