Contractors sought after 2012 planners approve design by LDA Design and Hargreaves Associates

The parklands at London's Olympic site have been given the go-ahead by 2012 planners.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said its planning committee had approved the 100ha park, landscaped by LDA Design and Hargreaves Associates, which is due to start on site this spring.

A selection process is under way to appoint a contractor for soft landscaping, hard landscaping and groundworks contracts, with an announcement expected in the next few months.

BAM Nuttall was appointed last year to lead delivery of the northern section of parklands and procure packages for the whole park.

John Hopkins, the ODA's head of parklands and public realm, said: “This gives the green light to a great new park that will be both a fantastic backdrop for the Games and the heart of the regeneration of east London.

“We have almost finished cleaning the Olympic park site, much of it contaminated through decades of industrial use, and this spring we will start the process of transforming the area into a new green space for people and wildlife.”

Building the London 2012 Olympics timeline