In The middle of summer 2005, London en masse celebrated winning the genuine to host the 2012 Olympics. Thanks to then, the hosting of the games has been still discussed: this article is concerned not with the wider issues on the contrary with the ODAв s demand to obtain land to deliver the infrastructure.

The charge troupe identified a 306 hectare section of UK land in east London to host the Olympic village and the leading stadia. This was not in the traditional impression land for sale so upon winning the games, the London Adulthood Agency (LDA) invoked obligatory get orders on some of the primary UK land sites in the zone.

Terminated a combination of existing ownership and buying land, ninety percent of the required 306 hectare realm of UK land in east London is double time in usual hands primed for Olympics infrastructure. The bill of buying land was not included in the latest budget (the genius of the propose squad did not apparently extend to basic financial forecasting), and it is not lone land for sale in the Olympics area which has been acquired.

Fresh UK land sites accept been purchased in progression to relocate businesses which operated in the Olympic zone: to some there is an irony that one of the main intended legacies of the Olympics is calling creation whilst simultaneously displacing businesses onto UK land sites in other parts of the country. The complete price of acquiring all the exigent UK land is meaning to be encircling В 1 billion.

There corner on the contrary been objections, not single to the perceived UK в land grabв from powerless businesses and individuals, however and to alleged profiteering complete buying land on the periphery of the area by the LDA to betterment from coming rises in the reward of that augmentation land.

The detail that this is not land for sale on the ajar money that prices may not follow the accurate valuation of the development land. The allegation, then, is that the Olympics enjoy develop into a Trojan steed for companies involved in property development: there is a vast circumstance to buy investment land with huge property and elaborating budding at bargain prices.

The mayorв s Olympics adviser Neale Coleman disputes this claim: в в it would be absurd to be trying to shop for land that is not certainly required to deliver the Olympicsв . A spokesman for the LDA insisted it was offering bazaar bill when buying land in the zone.


It has not at all times been govern sailing for the LDA when buying land. In Feb 2007 the LDAв s efforts to purchase land used for allotments in the Manor Gardens sphere of Waltham Forest was rejected by land cause planning officers at Waltham Forest Town Hall. Campaigners argued that buying land from individuals was unlike buying land from companies: the former keep an emotional attachment to UK land sites which they compass extensive used, unlike the hindmost (which are concerned with income maximisation).


The 2008 Beijing Olympics has attracted denial publicity for buying land and displacing regional people. As with London, this was not land for sale purchased at clear marketplace prices and it has been suggested that private property developers posses untrue lucrative land investments in the run-up to the games in China.


Olympic Delivery Authorities are authoritative agents and there is no mistrust that the political testament is firmly latest the on-schedule delivery of the 2012 Olympics. This income in all on the other hand the most persist cases the LDA will be empowered to invest in land in the areas it deems necessary.

So does this equal a UK land grab? Well, maybe it does, nevertheless it was to be expected. In some cases it has caused anguish but the mass of the 306 hectare ground of UK land earmarked for the Olympics is industrial advance land. But what is certainly equitable is that the reward of buying land has risen considerably owing to the submit was won, which has contributed to the swollen Olympic budget.
Dietrich Elliot is a Land Investment professional who generously shares his expertise with novice UK Land investors. For else counsel approximately the opportunities and pitfalls in UK Land investment please visitation http://www.land-investment-uk.com