The Story of East Bank

Have you discovered the East Bank yet?

The largest cultural investment in the UK since the Festival of Britain and the South Bank in the 1950s, is happening right now, and should be on your radar.

Transformative, inclusive, and decades in the making, London’s East Bank represents an exciting new powerhouse of culture, education, innovation and growth – and a major investment in vision, against the grain of austerity and bargain basement development.

Rising from the post-Olympic landscape of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, it is redefining what a civic quarter can be — not just for London, but for cities worldwide.

From masterplan to public realm, every layer of East Bank has been shaped by a belief that great design must work for everyone. Matching inclusive ambition, with the world’s best designers – its roofscapes, streets, and spaces weave together bold new outposts for Sadler’s Wells, the V&A, West Ham, BBC and University of the Arts London into a neighbourhood built around access, identity, and belonging.

“East Bank will inspire a whole new generation of Londoners to pursue their creative ambitions.”  Sadiq Khan

What’s worked well? What’s still to come? And what lessons can we learn for the South West?

Join Allies & Morrison, landscape architects LDA Design, and Michelle May from the London Legacy Development Corporation as they unpack the collaborative, complex, and deeply human story behind East Bank’s making — exploring how ambition, inclusion, and placemaking come together at an unprecedented scale.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Scott Carroll

A landscape architect with an expansive portfolio, Scott began his career on visionary Urban Renaissance projects with Will Alsop, before winning the international Peoples’ Playground Competition reimagining Blackpool’s Seafront.

He has since led public realm and roofscape design for Stratford Waterfront, East Bank — London’s largest cultural investment since the Festival of Britain — delivering new outposts for Sadler’s Wells, UAL, V&A and BBC. He has also partnered with Great Ormond Street Hospital to create safer, healthier, child-friendly streets.

Michelle May

Michelle May has led the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) Socio Economic Regeneration work since its inception in 2012. She is a proud east Londoner who is passionate about the place & its people. Michelle has focussed her efforts on ensuring that the physical development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park delivers real & lasting benefits for local people, including the design & delivery of a highly innovative education & skills programme, built on Good Growth principles with diverse, local talent at its heart.

Our talks are open to the public and professionals alike.
The event takes place at Arnolfini, Bristol, BS1 4QA