Olympic press centre to become East London technology hub

The Olympic Press and Broadcast Centres in the Olympic park that will be used to beam pictures the London 2012 games could be turned into a technology hub, generating thousands of jobs in the IT industry.

The London Legacy Development Corporation this week named iCITY as the preferred bidder for the building and surrounding facilities. Around 6,000 jobs are expected to be created, injecting 340 million into a run-down part of East London.

The incredible track record of start-ups and entrepreneurs in East London is growing at an impressive rate, and this is a chance to provide additional connectivity, capacity, investment and highly advanced infrastructure.

Some 4,600 jobs will be made on site with another 2,000 created in the local area as a result of supply chain creation and increased consumer spending.

The iCITY bid will bring together start-up businesses, established global companies, investors and social enterprises, in one space, to "promote collaboration and innovation", according to a statement released by preferred bidder.

The new technology hub will feature a data centre, media studios, a university, a digital academy and a new business incubator.

"We are delighted that iCITY has been selected as Preferred Bidder for the legacy use of the Press and Broadcast Centres on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park," said Gavin Poole, chief executive of iCITY.

"This is a unique opportunity to cement Britain's position as a global leader in innovation and the creative industries. iCITY will provide a sustainable legacy for the local community through the creation of thousands of jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities."

He added: "The incredible track record of start-ups and entrepreneurs in East London is growing at an impressive rate, and this is a chance to provide additional connectivity, capacity, investment and highly advanced infrastructure. I am hugely excited that work can now begin on turning that vision into a reality."

The building boasts more than 1,300 internet ports and 600km of cabling within 31,000 square metres of office space. The bid is a joint venture between real estate investors Delancey and datacentre company Infinity SDC.