Clays Lane was purposely built to house vulnerable single people in a range of flats, shared houses and bungalows and formerly operated as a cooperative.
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For 19 years he lived on the Clays Lane housing estate, before being displaced in 2007 to make way for the Olympic Park. Julian Cheyne, 65, has been a resident of East London for 25 years.
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For many commentators and local activists, the Olympics is the latest and greatest property development opportunity in a process of gentrification that is redesigning the East End, driving out the area’s traditional populations. The image of the East End as synonymous with poverty and squalor has been exploited by developers in recent years to implement aggressive urban development projects by private companies, starting with Canary Wharf in the 1980s. The gritty, industrial character of East London prevailed long after the fall of the British Empire and the Docks’ decline in the second half of 20th century, with the area continuing to be one of the poorest areas of the country, home to a diverse mix of immigrant and white British communities. The Docks on the River Thames and related industries such as ship-building dominated the economy and were major employers in the area at this time, the height of the British Empire with commodities arriving from colonies all around the world. In the 19th century, London’s population grew rapidly and the east of the capital became characterized by a concentration of the urban poor and immigrants that led to overcrowding and the creation of slums. The East End of London has historically been the poorest part of the city. From Danny Boyle’s spectacular opening and closing ceremonies to the smooth organizational running of the Games, the event seemed to represent a model hosting of an international mega-event and, despite the British public’s complaints of overspending and questioning of value in the run up to the Games, the country was swept by a wave of national pride as the Games came and went.īut what of the Olympics’ local impacts and long term legacy in East London, the main site of the 2012 Games and the Olympic Park?
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Last year’s London Olympics is widely viewed as a success.