Stratford Area Guide
There is a lot one can say about Stratford: since the announcement of the London Olympics, the area has been transformed and turned into one of the most modern, vibrant, sophisticated and luxurious districts of London.
The Olympic Games 2012: “The best city in the world meets the best sporting event in the world!”
An area in severe economic decline during the late 20th Century, Stratford has been totally transformed after the announcement in 2005 that London would be hosting the Olympic Games 2012 and has now become a is a buzzing shopping and leisure hub, as well as being well on its way to becoming the new business and financial centre of London.
Stratford is very popular with families. Its Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has the London Aquatics Centre with its wave-shaped roof, the London Stadium and several modern play areas. Towering over the Olympic park is the UK’s tallest sculpture, ArcelorMittal Orbit, which is made from recycled steel (60%), including washing machines and used cars. The Orbit offers extraordinary 20-mile views over Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the London skyline. Westfield Stratford City mall has an infinite variety of restaurants, bars and upscale fashion shops, as well as a Cinema.
Once the home of a British fashion designer and couturier, Alexander McQueen, Stratford is now one of London’s primary retail, cultural and leisure centres. With the Financial Conduct Authority confirming this year that it will be moving its Headquarters to The International Quarter, the largest new commercial developments in Europe which is being built next to the London Aquatics Centre and the Olympic Stadium, Stratford is well on its way to becoming the third most important financial business centre, after the City and Canary Wharf. The Deutsche Bank, Cancer Research and the British Council are understood to be in their final stages of negotiations to take office space at The International Quarter.
The speed and magnitude of the developments and regeneration projects in Stratford, had an inevitable effect on property prices in the area. Whilst £240,000 would buy you a 3- bedroom Freehold Terraced House in 2005, today the price has more than doubled and similar houses are being bought for well over half a million pounds.
Stratford’s Olympic Village, originally built for participating athletes, as well as officials and athletic trainers, has been converted for use as a new residential district, complete with independent shops, bars and restaurants. People who bought a flat in the Village in 2012 have seen its price doubled by 2017.