London's 2012 legacy plans are firmly on track, according to the city's Mayor Boris Johnson.
He said construction of the Olympic Village was well advanced since the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) began building work a year ago.
The Village, which lies adjacent to the Olympic Park site in the heart of east London, will provide first-class accommodation for athletes during the 2012 Games, before being transformed into thousands of new homes for Londoners.
Another major landmark has been reached with the start of work on the Chobham Academy - a world-class education campus to be built within the Olympic Village. With spaces for 1800 students aged three - 19, the Academy will ensure that the local community and future residents not only live in a brand new, thriving district, but have access to world-class education facilities for a range of needs, including nursery, primary and secondary schools within the development.
Work is also complete on key parts of the new infrastructure to create transport links between the Village and the surrounding communities. This includes the lifting into place of two major railway bridges and new railway sidings to allow delivery of construction materials by rail to minimise congestion and pollution in east London.
In addition to the 11,000 workers, including many local people, who are expected to be employed on the Olympic Park and Olympic Village sites at the peak of construction, 20,000 training opportunities will be provided over the next five years in a range of construction related skills. These opportunities will allow Londoners to develop the right skills to continue to help deliver the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games and other large-scale projects taking place across the region, such as Stratford City and Crossrail.
The Mayor said: "This is a very welcome landmark and marks major progress in the lasting regeneration of the East End. We now have a very clear vision and direction for our legacy, which is being expertly managed through the 2012 legacy delivery company.
"The ODA is making terrific progress and our vision of a vibrant, thriving district of new communities surrounded by beautiful parklands and reclaimed waterways with outstanding sporting, educational and cultural facilities, is taking shape. The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will deliver much more than just six weeks of sport and it is clear from progress to date that the future for this previously deprived area is spectacularly bright."
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