When entertainment, leisure and sporting venues are built or refurbished with legacy in mind - and woven into the social fabric they contribute to - they can become anchors of community, identity and pride. Think of anything from the Royal Albert Hall, or Hammersmith Apollo in London, to Anfield in Liverpool, or Manchester's Co-op Live - all are venues synonymous with their place, evolving and always reflecting their contemporary context. Far more than merely items in budgets, pins on maps and fixtures in calendars, venues have the potential to offer real impact to the people that surround them. They not only bring audiences together for a show; at their best, they are embedded in their local communities.
Three years ago our two organisations, Newham LBC and specialist contractor ES Global, on being granted planning permission by the London Legacy Development Corporation, delivered one of the most successful ‘meanwhile use' attractions in London. ABBA Voyage, hosted in a relocatable arena in Stratford, has injected an impressive £775m into the London economy in its first two years of operation. Beyond its financial success and its glowing reviews, the arena has made a real impact on the local community. We are firm believers that an ‘impactful' venue is one that has been planned for long-term use. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park - also in the Borough of Newham - is an exemplar of this idea. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are transient in nature, following the sun to spotlight another city and its cluster of supporting locations every four years. Yet permanent structures built for The Games last far beyond the immediate needs of the event. The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has been described as having three planned cycles - the first of which was hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The second cycle focused on its continued use beyond The Games. It aimed to establish a legacy for the park, growing beyond the memory of its initial use. This involved transforming the area into a residential hub and setting up anchor institutions like the BBC Music Studios and the recently-opened V&A East Storehouse. The third cycle, still underway, aims to embed these institutions into the local community, making the park a space for everyday use and economic growth.
