Here is some background knowledge of the site.

In the nineteeth century, industry in Stratford took off as the area became a hub for the toxic and noxious industries that were banned from London in the 1844 Metropolitan Building Act. Polluting activities such as carcass rendering, chemical plants and printers relocated over the border to Stratford, which was then in Essex.

The town also had extensive railway works at this time, a 78 acre site which employed 6,000 people to build locomotives and carriages. From the 1920s onwards, this area was used as a repair and maintenance depot.

Conditions for Stratford residents in the nineteenth century were poor, with overcrowding, poverty and poor health.

The deprivation continued into the twentieth century, and unemployment reached record levels in the interwar years causing demonstrations and rioting. Many people were evacuated during the Second World War and the area was severely bombed.

In spite of massive rebuilding after the war, the economic decline continued with the closure of the docks.

The history of regeneration in Stratford started in the 1960s, bringing the shopping centre and London Freight Terminal and some employment for local people. In the 1990s, a new station and bus station were built along with a library, cinema and theatre. The town centre became a brighter, more attractive place.

The regeneration story in Stratford is ongoing, and the area will change dramatically over the next four years.

On 6th July 2005, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that London would host the 2012 Olympics. London won its bid on the back of three factors:
a) its status as a global city with one of the world's most culturally and ethnically diverse populations;
b) its focus upon regenerating one of the poorest areas of the city, which is on-going, where the Olympics have a specific role to play in providing a legacy of amenities for local people;
c) a focus upon children as the benefactors of the Olympics, and the inspiration that could link nations through sport.

London's bid was focused upon a complete re-brand and re-construction of a brownfield site along the Lea Valley in Stratford, East London. This area was chosen because of the potential for excellent surface and underground transport connections, and due to the need for regeneration in the area. Stratford International Station, opening in 2009, linked the area to the continent and to St Pancras in 7 minutes. A parallel regeneration project is the Stratford City development, a 1.5 million m2 area of proposed retail, commerce, leisure and residential development. Stratford City has already attracted 5 major international banks and several new apartment blocks have already been built.

From: http://www.geographyteachingtoday.org.uk/fieldwork/resource/urban-regeneration-and-2012-resources/stratford/