London 2012 legacy advisers named

Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross and former Olympic javelin champion Tessa Sanderson were today named as legacy advisers to London mayor Boris Johnson for the 2012 Olympics.

A strong legacy was a key pledge to the International Olympic Committee which helped London win the right to host the Games.

Ms Sanderson, the 1984 Olympic javelin champion, currently head of the Newham Sports Academy in east London, aimed at identifying talented youngsters to train for the London 2012 Games.

Mr Ross heads up the board, which according to Mr Johnson will try to ensure the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, is "a landmark district of 21st century London".

Mr Ross is also the mayor's nominee to the board of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In June he produced a report which warned that a "perfect storm" of global financial issues, the terror threat and the rising cost of raw materials could break the £9.3bn budget for the London Games.

The board's task, amid the current economic turmoil, will be to try to help secure the best possible future for the Olympic Park after the Games.

They will look at setting up a separate vehicle in 2009 to secure development and investment, largely from the private sector, for regeneration in and around the Olympic Park.

Members include London Development Agency chair Harvey McGrath; Julia Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine Gallery; Hackney mayor Jules Pipe and Neale Coleman, who is the London Mayor's advisor on the 2012 Games.

They are joined by David Gregson, part-time chairman of the private equity group Phoenix Equity Partners, and Sir Bob Kerslake, the chief executive of the Homes and Communities Agency and Sheffield City Council's former chief executive.

Jeremy Newsum, the executive trustee of the Grosvenor Estate, and Richard Sharp of Goldman Sachs, are also members.

Mr Johnson said: "The Olympic Park can and must be a landmark district of 21st century London that builds on the electrifying excitement and global recognition of the Games themselves. This cannot be achieved without robust business and delivery plans, and a clear understanding of what will inspire private investors to make a long-term commitment to the area."

Mr Ross said: "As I noted in my report to the mayor, the long-term future of the Olympic Park is probably the most important part of the London 2012 arrangements, but also the most complex.

"I am looking forward enormously to getting started."

The board is also expected to liaise with the five host boroughs, central Government and key delivery agencies, and advise on the wider sporting, cultural and educational legacy.

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