It includes City Airport, the ExCeL international
exhibition centre and luxury homes overlooking the Thames.
The borough is at the centre of London's plans for the 2012
Olympic games. The Games will see an 80,000-seater stadium built in
Stratford - which will also be at the heart of a prestigious new
development, Stratford City, comprising 4,500 new homes, nearly
half a million square metres of office space, hotels, schools and a
shopping centre to rival any in the country.
Major regeneration schemes are also underway in other parts of
Newham, including Canning Town and West Ham. And there's still
plenty of space for more development - the largest available city
site in Europe.
It's not just the shining new buildings and facilities that make
the borough a happening place. Newham has the youngest and most
diverse population in the UK. More than 40 per cent of the 254,000
people in Newham are under 25 years old and more than 100 languages
are spoken locally - from Albanian to Zhuang. All of which makes
for an exciting area rich in culture, flavour and atmosphere where
local people take great pride in being part of a global
village.
The borough's youthful vigour and creativity has fused with the
traditional East End values of warmth, friendliness, community
spirit and good humour to make Newham a welcoming place with a
unique character.
Newham is a great place to buy a house with better prices than
comparable parts of London. It's also a great place to stay when
visiting the capital. With ten brand-new hotels, including the
unique West Ham United with rooms overlooking the football pitch at
Upton Park, there is accommodation to suit every pocket. It's much
cheaper than staying in the centre of London and yet it's only 20
minutes from most of the top attractions.
As well as being an excellent base for exploring central London,
there is also plenty to see and do here. For a taste of the real
London, look no further than Green Street - dubbed 'the Bond Street
of the East End'. A refreshing break from the chain stores of most
high streets, it has over 400 independent shops representing
cultures from around the world, selling food, jewellery, designer
saris (as worn by the Cherie Blair!) and a myriad of cafes and
restaurants serving authentic international cuisine.
Nearly ten per cent of the borough is green space and visitors can
take advantage of a range of sports, leisure and activities around
the borough's parks. Outside of Newham, but within easy reach are
Wanstead flats and Epping forest and East London's favourite
seaside resort, Southend, is just half an hour
away. |