Based on Stratford Regional and Stratford International railway stations, it includes Stratford Cross, a joint venture between Lendlease and London and Continental Railways (LCR) to create a £2 billion commercial and residential development, the Westfield shopping centre, Chobham Academy, and the East Village, previously the athletes' village constructed by Lendlease for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Royal Mail has allocated the postcode E20 to Stratford City and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The whole Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park site was proposed to be secured under a compulsory purchase order (CPO) by the London Development Agency.

In late 2005, a row broke out between then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Newham Council/Westfield over the use of the legal instrument.

In November 2005, an agreement was made whereby the CPO over the Westfield site was removed, subject to agreed access provisions to the Olympic Village.