Government approves Olympic Park

The Olympic Park will be built in Stratford

The government has given the green light for planning permission for the 500-acre Olympic Park.

Applications for the park, which were submitted in February, were approved by the Olympic Delivery Authority's Planning Committee last month.

They were then referred to the Government Office for London and the Greater London Authority who on Monday gave their agreement for approval.

The park, in east London, will form the heart of the London 2012 Games.

The Olympic Park will include the main stadium, an aquatics centre, velodrome, three sports arenas, a hockey centre, media facilities and the Olympic Village, in which 17,800 athletes and officials will be housed.

We are on track to deliver a first class Games with an Olympic Park that will leave a lasting legacy far beyond 2012 Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee

The 10,000-page document also outlined plans for new sports venues, roads and parks and details of what will happen after the 2012 Games.

Chief Executive of the ODA, David Higgins, said: "Receiving planning permission is a huge step forward.

"The recognition of the regeneration value of our plans gives us continued momentum as we continue work to create a world class Olympic Park for Games and legacy."

'First-class Games'

He said the ODA would continue consultation on planning applications for individual venues and the Olympic Park which would allow people to comment on plans for the park.

Planning permission for the park was subjected to a series of conditions, including ensuring the submission of further detailed plans for venues, landscaping and infrastructure in the park.

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: "We are on track to deliver a first-class Games with an Olympic Park that will leave a lasting legacy far beyond 2012."

Once built, the Olympic Park is set to be one of the largest new urban parks opened in Europe for 150 years.