The development of Stratford City rapidly became a partnership between what was
then Chelsfield plc, for whom Nigel Hugill was Chief Executive and Stanhope
Plc, with Stuart Lipton as Managing Director.
“No one wanted to go to Stratford when we first looked at it, it was a sleepy
suburb which had hardly changed, but with some of the best subway and railroad
facilities in the whole of London”, said Sir Stuart Lipton, now Deputy Chairman
at Chelsfield Partners and a ULI Life Trustee, recalling his first impressions
of the Olympics site at the recent ULI Trends Conference. “We assumed shoppers
would be heading for the nearby regional malls of Lakeside or Bluewater, but
when we analysed their movements more closely we realised they were staying in
London and going to the West End.”
Nigel Hugill has gone on to found his own brownfield development business,
Urban and Civic. Describing the initial sense of pioneering at Stratford, he
explained the alteration in attitude that was central to the whole approach:
“Keep in mind that this was well ahead of the 2012 Olympic bid. We set about,
quite literally, changing London's urban map. The tendency is for UK developers
to understate proposed scale and impact. We determined on the direct opposite
and aimed ambitiously high from the outset. We were clear early that the former
Rail lands afforded the opportunity to create a new piece of city that would
provide both form and function to a host of new transport movements across the
capital. ”
The approach culminated in the largest single planning application ever made in
London – seeking consent for a metropolitan retail centre to rival those in
West London, office buildings, residential apartments, hotels, leisure and
civic facilities, fully integrated within parks and new public spaces.
The pair were in agreement that the success of the project also rested squarely
on unequivocal support from Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of the Borough of Newham,
whose enthusiasm and commitment remains undiminished. He co-ordinated a
dialogue by which the partners, together with then Mayor of London, Ken
Livingstone, met quarterly with the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and
Ministers from the Environment Department. These meetings ensured that this
complex project respected all the community requirements and motivated the
numerous organisations involved to work together to allow this complex project
to go for zoning approval without resort to formal Central Government
intervention.
Stratford City went on to become a cornerstone of the London 2012 bid. The
application was consented in September 2004, the evening before the UK
Government announced approval and funding for proposed Olympic sporting
facilities on adjoining sites. The Games were awarded the following year- after
what was perhaps the most hotly ever contested selection process. It seemed no
coincidence that the commitment to quality urban regeneration, the supportive
political environment, the benefits of proactive planning, demonstrably
integrated high speed transport links and a development site that was prepared
Europe