East Village Named Newham’s Best Neighbourhood by The Telegraph

Key Points

• The Telegraph has published a new list identifying the “golden areas” in each of London’s 32 boroughs.
• For Newham, The Telegraph named East Village, in and around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, as the borough’s “best” neighbourhood to live in.
• The assessment considered green space, commuting accessibility, school quality and local amenities, along with insights from local estate agents and Hamptons.
• Many of the locations highlighted across London were said to share “village-like features”, such as a central green or a high street with independent shops.
• East Village, originally built as the London 2012 Athletes’ Village, housed around 17,000 athletes during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• The area now promotes itself as one of “London’s most popular neighbourhoods”, featuring around 30 independent retailers and its own park.
• The Telegraph’s selection feeds into the wider debate over regeneration, affordability and liveability in Newham and east London.

Newham’s ‘best’ neighbourhood has been identified as East Village, by the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in a new borough‑by‑borough ranking produced by The Telegraph, which claims to spotlight the capital’s so‑called “golden areas” based on green space, transport links, schools and local amenities.

Why has East Village been named Newham’s ‘best’ neighbourhood?

As reported by The Telegraph in its London borough round‑up, the newspaper set out to highlight what it described as the “golden areas” in each of London’s 32 boroughs, selecting one standout neighbourhood in every locality. According to the report, East Village has been chosen as Newham’s “best” neighbourhood after a comparison of criteria including access to green spaces, commuting routes, the presence of good schools and the range of nearby services.

In compiling the list, The Telegraph stated that it drew not only on these practical factors but also on local market insight. The newspaper explained that it considered “knowledge from local estate agencies and Hamptons” when reaching its conclusions on which areas currently stand out for buyers and renters. In Newham’s case, those inputs led it to focus on the former Olympic Athletes’ Village and the surrounding development, now known collectively as East Village.

What criteria were used to identify Newham’s ‘golden area’?

As reported by The Telegraph, the list for London’s 32 boroughs was framed around a set of lifestyle and practical benchmarks. These included the quality and availability of green spaces, commuting accessibility into central London and other employment hubs, the perceived standard of local schools, and a broader sense of amenity, taking account of shops, cafés and other services.

The Telegraph further indicated that it relied on the expertise of local estate agents and the national agency Hamptons to refine its selections, using on‑the‑ground experience of demand patterns and resident preferences. By incorporating this estate agency insight, the list aims to go beyond purely statistical measures, attempting instead to capture areas considered especially appealing in the current market.

How does East Village fit the ‘village-like’ profile highlighted in the list?

In its coverage, The Telegraph noted that many of the top neighbourhoods across London shared “village-like features”. According to the report, these features could include “a central green, or high street with independent shops”, as opposed to areas defined solely by large retail chains or major roads.

Within this framework, East Village has been presented as fitting that pattern. Promotional material for the neighbourhood, as cited in local reporting, describes it as one of “London’s most popular neighbourhoods”, emphasising that it offers around 30 independent retailers and has its own dedicated park. The mix of smaller businesses and open space is being used to underline its “village” character, despite its relatively recent construction and location within a major regeneration zone.

What is East Village and how did it develop from the 2012 Olympics?

As reported in coverage of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Newham’s regeneration, East Village was originally developed as the London 2012 Athletes’ Village. At the time of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the complex provided accommodation for around 17,000 athletes, support staff and officials, forming one of the core residential hubs of the event.

Following the Games, the area was converted into permanent housing as part of the longer‑term legacy plan for the Olympic Park. The former athletes’ blocks were reconfigured into homes for private rent, market sale and affordable tenures, with additional amenities and public spaces added. Over the past decade, East Village has been marketed as a new residential quarter for east London, closely linked to Stratford International and Stratford stations, and forming part of the wider Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park community.

How central are green spaces and parks to East Village’s appeal?

In The Telegraph’s description of “golden areas”, green space was highlighted as a key factor. East Village is positioned within and alongside the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, one of the largest new urban parks created in Europe in recent years. Residents have direct or near‑direct access to landscaped parkland, play areas, walking and cycling routes and water features laid out in and around the Olympic site.

Local promotional information about East Village, as referenced in coverage, stresses that the neighbourhood has “its own park” in addition to the wider Olympic Park. This combination of a local green and expansive regional parkland supports the “village-like” narrative cited by The Telegraph, and contributes to the area’s presentation as a strong contender for families, young professionals and others prioritising outdoor space.

How important are transport links and commuting options in this ranking?

In outlining its methodology, The Telegraph pointed to commuting accessibility as a core consideration in its borough‑by‑borough selections. East Village sits adjacent to Stratford and Stratford International stations, which together provide multiple rail, Tube and Overground services, including the Central and Jubilee lines, the DLR, London Overground and national rail connections.

These transport links place central London, Docklands and other major employment centres within relatively short commuting times. For many residents in Newham, proximity to reliable and fast public transport is a key factor in deciding where to live, and The Telegraph’s inclusion of this in its criteria reflects an emphasis on day‑to‑day practicality alongside lifestyle features such as parks and independent shops.

What role did schools and education play in naming East Village as ‘best’?

The Telegraph stated that “good schools” formed part of the assessment when identifying each borough’s “best” neighbourhood. In and around East Village and the wider Stratford area, a number of primary and secondary schools have opened or been expanded in response to population growth following the Olympics and the ongoing development around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

While The Telegraph’s summary did not list specific schools in its borough pick, its emphasis on education suggests that catchment areas, Ofsted ratings and newer school facilities factored into the evaluation process. For families considering a move within Newham or into the borough, the perceived strength of local schools remains a significant part of deciding whether an area offers a high quality of life.

How does East Village compare to other ‘village-like’ areas highlighted across London?

In the broader context of The Telegraph’s feature, East Village forms one part of a London‑wide picture in which each borough’s selection was associated with “village-like features”. As reported by the newspaper, common themes among these locations included a sense of community focus, central meeting points such as greens or squares, and high streets characterised by independent businesses offering food, retail and services.

By naming East Village for Newham, The Telegraph effectively places the former Olympic site alongside more established “village” districts elsewhere in London. While those other areas were not detailed in the Newham‑specific reporting, the overall framing indicates that East Village is being recognised not only for modern infrastructure and transport, but also for the attempt to cultivate a neighbourhood identity centred on local shops, social spaces and accessible greenery.

What does this designation mean for Newham and its residents?

The Telegraph’s decision to label East Village as Newham’s “best” neighbourhood intersects with wider debates about regeneration, affordability and the distribution of investment in the borough. Over the past decade, the area around Stratford and the Olympic Park has seen intense development, new housing and major retail and leisure projects, which have attracted new residents and businesses while also raising questions about housing costs and long‑standing communities.

While The Telegraph’s list is presented as a lifestyle‑oriented guide rather than an official planning or policy document, such rankings can influence perceptions of where in Newham – and in east London more broadly – is seen as most desirable. For buyers, renters and investors, the designation may reinforce existing trends. For existing residents across the borough, it may fuel discussion about how benefits from regeneration are shared, and whether measures of “best” fully capture local priorities and lived experience.