Sheffield's Olympic Legacy Park '˜can replicate' success of AMP, says chamber boss

From l to r:- President of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jill Thomas, and David Hobson, project director for the Olympic Legacy Park.

That’s the view of the president of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jill Thomas, who gave her backing to the multi-million pound London 2012 legacy project during a site visit.

The 35-acre OLP, being built on the former Don Valley Stadium site in Attercliffe, is set to become an internationally recognised centre for health, wellbeing and innovation.

An all-through school for two to 16-year-olds, the Oasis Academy Don Valley, opened on the OLP last year and building work is now underway on the UTC Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park campus. Opening in September, the £10m UTC facility will be home to 600 students aged 14 to 19 and will specialise in medical, sports sciences, and computing sectors.

At the heart of the OLP will be Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, described by project leaders as the most advanced research and development centre for physical activity in the world.

Chamber president Jill said: “The Olympic Legacy Park is a unique project and one that Sheffield should be incredibly proud of. The emerging developments on site are hugely exciting. The Oasis Academy Don Valley is not only creating learning environments to help young people realise their full potential but providing fantastic office and event spaces for the business community.

“You can already see the positive impact it’s having on local communities in terms of health and wellbeing opportunities and attracting inward investment with major companies like Toshiba on board. In the same way that the AMP has become internationally recognised for engineering and manufacturing, the OLP can do the same for health and wellbeing innovation by offering opportunities for businesses to invest and locate their business alongside other world-leading organisations.”

The £3.5m Park Community Arena on the OLP will be the new home for the Sheffield Sharks basketball team and MLS Contracts Ltd. The 2, 500 seater facility will have three courts. The Olympic Legacy Park is a joint venture between Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield City Council.