All the eyes of the world will be on London during the tournament next summer.

Construction, which started in early 2008, involves development of the Olympic Village, transport links and accommodation as well as sporting venues. The build-up for this global event goes on for years, but it’s always difficult to predict what will happen to the purpose-built sites and structures erected especially for the games.

At the moment, one of the main points of contention is the Olympic Stadium, the epicentre of the games. The current bidders for the stadium are West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur football clubs, whose plans have attracted a great deal of media interest: Spurs, for example may demolish 75% of the stadium if their bid is successful -the stadium is estimated to have cost around £450 million.

The Olympics have generated a great amount of investment in east London, which should have a long-term effect. The investment has already had a positive effect on property in the area; serviced apartments London have become increasingly popular and are expected to be the accommodation of choice for many visitors, whether they are there to work or simply to watch the games.

Residents of nearby areas should benefit greatly from the new facilities being developed, such as the Aquatics Centre, which has two 50m swimming pools and a diving pool. After 2013, the centre will be taken over by a corporation willing to turn it into a community asset providing health education and sporting programmes. In the Olympic village in Hackney, the Hockey Centre will seat 15,000 spectators. Meanwhile, the London Velopark, north of the Olympic Park in the Leyton area, should see enough demand to remain open long after the Olympics: after large medal hauls in cycling events in the last two Olympics, cycling is an increasingly popular sport nationwide. Residents in east London serviced apartments will also, of course, benefit from these new facilities, no matter how long their stay.

There are already a number of improvements taking place across London’s transport network, including upgrades of the London Overground’s East London line, the Docklands Light Railway and the North London railway line. A new Westfield shopping centre will also be built with a branch of John Lewis as its flagship store – a development that will bring hoards of visitors to the area long after the Olympics finish. Should the Olympic Stadium become the home ground of one of England’s most popular football clubs, this could lead to further growth in the area, creating further demand around Stratford for serviced apartments London.

Once the games have concluded it will provide a real test for the people of east London. During the build-up there will be an influx of investment in accommodation, retail and more demand for London serviced apartments to accommodate international visitors and the numerous corporations involved in the organisation of the tournament. The challenge lies in maintaining this after the games.