March 13 - The £355 million Media Centre to be built for the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics has the potential to create thousands of jobs after the Games have ended, it was claimed today.

 

The Media Centre create just under 900,000 square feet of business space in legacy, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said.

 

The ODA said that the International Broadcast Centre (MPC) and International Broadcast Centre (IBC), which will support approximately 20,000 journalists during the Games, will combine a mixture of permanent and temporary elements.

 

The London Development Agency (LDA) is leading the legacy planning.

 

The ODA claim that the MPC will meet demanding green standards in legacy through innovations including the use of recycled non-drinking water collected across the Olympic Park and new habitats to attract wildlife.

 

A planning application for the MPC/IBC was submitted this week, the site has been cleared and Carillion, the contractor, is currently preparing to start construction this spring.

 

John Armitt, the chairman of the ODA, said: "The innovative design provides a quality working environment for the media during the Games while delivering a flexible and green employment space for a range of potential business uses in legacy."

 

Sebastian Coe, the chairman of London 2012, said: "Today's announcement is a significant step towards delivering the best possible working environment for the 20,000 members of the world's broadcasters, press and photographers in the summer of 2012.

 

"The media will play a key role in how the world views London and the Games.

 

"Billions of people around the world rely on the international media to relay the stories of human endeavour on the field fo player and to capture the atmosphere at Games-time.

 

"The impressive facilities we have planned will give us the best possible foundations for the media to tell all the stories from the London 2012 Games whilst leaving high performance workspace in legacy for the East of London."

 

The MPC/IBC will be the only Olympic site located in Hackney, who had fought a battle to ensure it stayed there after earlier fears that the economic crisis might force it to be switched to Stratford.

 

Jules Pipe, the elected Mayor of Hackney, said: "We are pleased the IBC/MPC will provide vital employment space in Hackney Wick after the Games.

 

"The Council's aim is for the new business space to allow for the expansion of digital, media and creative industries that are thriving in East London.

 

"Local businesses and media companies have expressed strong interest in moving to the facilities in legacy, and we will continue to work to secure the best possible legacy for our Borough, residents and local businesses."

 

In January the Government released £135 million from the from the £2.7 billion contingency fund which forms part of the overall £9.3 billion budget for building the Games venues and infrastructure to help plug a gap caused by the failure to raise any private sector money for the project.

 

The MPC will include 29,000 square metres of office space by the River Lea Navigation, providing four storeys of workspace for journalists and photographers during the Games and the IBC will have 50,000 square metres of studio space of two 8-10 metres high floors during the Games with a temporary gantry running along the building for technical equipment.

 

The ODA said the detailed uses and designs will evolve during the build-up to London 2012 and will be influenced by the eventual occupiers of the buildings.

 

Tom Russel, the Group Director for Olympic Legacy at the LDA, said: "The Media Centre site will become a major employment driver in legacy with a main focus on the creative industries, while also looking at higher educational use.