London Olympic Park site to become major construction hub

Major plans to overhaul the final parcel of land at the Olympic Park in East London have been submitted. 

Network Rail Property has put in an outline masterplan to transform 30 acres at Bow Goods Yard into London’s largest integrated rail freight logistics hub. 

South of the London Stadium, Bow Goods Yard has been a primary rail hub in the capital for more than a century. 

Used as the main construction base for the 2012 Olympics, the site is still vital to London’s construction sector, supplying more than a million tonnes of concrete a year by rail as well as other construction materials. 

Masterplan key features 

• 190,000 sqm floor space; 39,000 sqm heavy/light industrial 

• 7,000 sqm new public realm 

• 32,000 sqm leisure use 

• 3,000 sqm food & beverage  

• 5,000 sqm sports pitches 

• up to 5,000 new jobs 

Catering too for construction sector traffic, the design also allows for improved connections and routes, extensive warehousing and workspaces, a new centralised hub for Network Rail, and screening off the concrete-batching facility. 

Up to 3.5 million tonnes of construction materials will be transported by rail to and from the site. 

The team 

The masterplan team includes Maccreanor Lavington Architects and Urbanists, UMC Architects, Architecture 00, East, WSP, make:good, Useful Projects, Montagu Evans, and Currie & Brown. 

Rail freight contributes around £2.5 billion to the UK economy and the British Government has set a target of 75 per cent growth in rail freight by 2050, prompting the expansion. 

Robin Dobson, group property director at Network Rail, said: “This masterplan takes an ambitious approach to unlocking a challenging site and putting infrastructure at its heart.  

“By reimaging the land use, we are creating a state-of-the-art freight, warehousing and logistics campus that is vital to London. 

“The scheme supports a more sustainable capital with the new green spaces and leisure areas positively contributing to the local community now and for future generations.  

“Being a better, more sustainable neighbour is a clear priority for us.” 

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