He was responding to an article in The Guardian earlier in the week by George Monbiot that "evictions of the poor, along with mentally ill people and beggars, are one of the (Olympic) Games' best-established traditions".

 

In a response published in the newspaper today Coe wrote: "How can he claim that 'everything we have been told about the Olympic legacy turns out to be bunkum' - five years before the Games have even taken place, and five years before we will see the start of what we plan to be a lasting legacy?

 

"When London won the right to host the Games, we promised to create a sustainable legacy for London and the UK.

 

"Our commitment to ensuring that this legacy begins to take shape now, and has a tangible and meaningful impact long after 2012, is demonstrated by the fact that we have been planning for Games and legacy in tandem, and have done so since we started working on this complex and challenging project nearly two years ago."

 

Coe continues in his article: "Monbiot focuses on the impact in the Lower Lea Valley - where we will build the Olympic park.

 

"This part of London is one of the most underdeveloped parts of the whole country.

 

"We are embarking on one of the biggest regeneration projects Britain has seen, creating new homes, new public transport facilities, new business opportunities and new public spaces.

 

"It's about improving the quality of life for those who live in this area.

 

"Monbiot's notion that the games have become a catalyst for 'mass evictions and impoverishment' bears no resemblance to our plans.

 

"The regeneration will create between 30,000 and 40,000 new homes in the area.

 

"It will be a catalyst for investment that will create new, quality housing - much of which will be 'affordable housing' available to key workers such as nurses or teachers.

 

"Monbiot claims we are 'throwing 430 people out of the Clays Lane housing co-op'.

 

"In fact, the London Development Agency (LDA) has worked tirelessly over the last three years to rehouse these residents in upgraded, better-quality homes."

 

The full article can be read at http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2103665,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=27.