By . Dani Porter . PUBLISHED: . 06:21 EST, 20 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:25 EST, 20 July 2012 . An anti-Olympics piece of graffiti in Hackney Wick shows the sentiment felt by people in the area. Although they are looking forward to the 100metres . Businesses in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium are enraged at what they call the betrayal of Sebastian Coe's promises that London 2012 would boost the local community. One of the boasts of Lord Coe's team was how local businesses would be helped by having the Games on their doorsteps, yet dozens only a few hundred metres from the Olympic Stadium now claim they are being deliberately denied the opportunity to cash-in. In what locals described as an 'extraordinary and shameful' decision just days before the Opening Ceremony, Hackney Wick, one of the railway stations closest to the Olympic Park where tens of thousands of visitors are expected each day is to be closed, depriving businesses of potential customers. Shops, restaurants and bars in the East London area known for its artistic community have been gearing up for thousands of new customers investing money in advertising and PR for the Games, as well as recruiting extra staff in anticipation of brisk trade. Local businessman James Morgan, owner of the bar and cafe The Hackney Pearl, said: 'This decision is outrageous and flies in the face of what we were promised. 'We were led to believe there would be an increase in trade and yet we are now effectively being cut off from any access at all. 'It makes a mockery of the Olympic bid as it was based on these promises.' Many organisations moved to the area to specifically benefit from the Olympics and they are astonished that only now have been told the key access to them is effectively being shut-off. Hackney Wick station is one stop from Stratford, the main gateway to the Olympics, and Transport for London and Lorol, the owners of London Overground, say westbound trains will not pick-up passengers from the station from 1pm each day. They contend the trains are likely to be packed full from Stratford and would not be able to take on extra passengers at Hackney Wick where the platform for those travelling back to Central London would be full. With road closures and bus diversions affecting access to the area and parts of the river towpath, previously touted as an Olympic route, shut down, one supermarket owner said: 'It is an absolute betrayal – we have built-up stocks for these weeks and now it will end-up costing us. 'It seems a disgrace that only now are we being told of this decision, why wasn't it made months ago so we could plan properly?' The Yard Theatre, a performance space approved by The Legacy List, the very creation of which was to rejuvenate the areas closest to the Olympics, is among those hit. Hackney Wick, one of the railway stations closest to the Olympic Park, is to be closed to westbound trains, depriving businesses of potential customers . Producer Dominic Lindesay-Bethune expects at 'a conservative estimate the loss of income of more than £20,000 over the two weeks, with many of our 12 staff being forced to take indeterminate unpaid leave.' Department store chain John Lewis today said Olympics fever helped drive a 17.3 per cent hike in sales as shoppers rushed to snap up London 2012 themed goods. The group notched up £70.3million in sales last week thanks to strong demand for Olympics related sports clothing and homeware, while it also received a boost from the final week of clearance. John Lewis added that customers were hitting stores to pick up bargains as a form of "retail therapy" amid the ongoing poor summer weather. Sales of London 2012 products meant a 39 per cent year-on-year surge in sportswear and spur an 8.9 per cent lift in home revenues in the week to July 14. Fellow local business man Stuart Hatton, joint MD of a local film production company, has sympathy for businesses that rely on footfall: . 'We were looking forward to there being a real buzz in the local community. Some businesses actually moved here to capitalise on the Olympic Games though it now seems that the opposite will happen. I can't see the logic in it and the reason for the decision has not been explained to us.' LOCOG, the London organising authority, have created much fanfare over the amount of work and income that the Games will generate however it seems that for the independent businesses of Hackney Wick the opposite will be true, should this closure go ahead. Resident and owner of Dee Dee's Vintage, Dee O'Connell relies on the train service to meet clients, as well as having staff whose commute will be disrupted. But she also draws attention to the impact it will have on residents. Many of her neighbours are elderly and . they rely on the bus and train services to reach nearby amenities. 'These people will be trapped,' she said. 'I really don't know what they are . going to do. Many of these people are without the internet and cannot . walk more than short distances. Their quality of life will be totally . affected.' Businesses have raised a petition and hope that transport chiefs will relent. Many organisations moved to Hackney Wick to benefit from the Olympics and have been left feeling betrayed that access to them is effectively being shut off . Howard Smith, Chief Operating Officer of TfL London Rail, said: 'During the Games, London will become a massive sporting and cultural venue, with up to one million extra visitors expected in the capital every day at Games-time. 'They will make an additional three million daily journeys, over and above the regular 12m journeys on public transport. 'We and our operators have detailed crowd management plans in place for every station on the network, including Hackney Wick, which will enable us to deal safely with the exceptional increase in passenger numbers on London Overground. 'Those plans are based on the projected increase we expect around key stations serving the Games venues and major Live Sites.' Shops are boarded up, the buildings look tatty and roads are littered with discarded mattresses, cupboards and wardrobes. Welcome to the side of Stratford, east London, that Olympic organisers would rather you didn't see. London . was awarded the 2012 Games after the team behind the bid convinced . officials that it would leave a lasting legacy for the regeneration of . one of the capital's poorest areas. But . these grim pictures, taken only a stone's throw from the Olympic Park, . reveal that more work is needed to turn around Stratford's fortunes. Discarded: Mattresses and furniture line a pavement in Stratford, where some residents are struggling to see how their area has benefited from the Olympics . Tatty: A newsagent's shop in Stratford has its window boarded up . Damaging: This street has a view of the Olympic stadium, but a crashed car has been abandoned on the pavement . Almost £9.3billion has been . spent on the Games - with three-quarters of it earmarked for . regeneration projects - but some residents say it is hard to see where . the money has gone. The area has a new £1.45billion shopping mall, Westfield, which has created 10,000 jobs and brought new waves of shoppers. The . athletes' village is believed to have cost about £1.1billion to build, . although it was sold to Qatari developers last year for only . £557million. But critics fear other parts of Stratford have been forgotten. Julian . Cheyne, of the Counter Olympics Network, a pressure group set up to . hold London 2012 officials to account, said: 'You look at the old . Stratford Centre and it is dwarfed by the new glistening Westfield. 'Westfield . is a stark contrast to the town centre that's for sure. They have . placed some turquoise sculptures in Stratford, but that's about it.' The Olympic 'Orbit' statue overlooks a building in need of refurbishment . Closed: A statue on the Olympic Park stands behind businesses with their shutters down . The dour exterior of the old shopping centre is a world away form the bright Westfield complex. And the town's high street is peppered with shut-down shops and closing down sales. Mr . Cheyne said: 'You could argue that there is no need to spruce it up . because I doubt many visitors to the Olympics will ever bother to . venture outside the Park. 'They will just get the tube or train straight to Stratford and turn left into the Olympic complex. 'It's questionable what tarting up . the area would actually do for the fortunes of the businesses. They will . just be inconvenienced by the Games.' Shopkeeper Uday Patel, who runs a . newsagent business in the Stratford Centre opposite Westfield, said: . 'Money needs to be invested in the Stratford Centre, not just the . Olympic Park. A bed shop is closed with shutters drawn down in Stratford town centre . 'It doesn't impact locals if not. How are we meant to compete? 'The least the council could do is lower our rates so we can be more competitive because business has been affected badly.' Residents said the changes they had seen so far were cosmetic. Joe . Alexander said: 'I'm glad Westfield is there, it's a great local . facility for the people of Stratford but you can't help feel it was . created more for people from outside to come in, shop and leave without . really entering the real Stratford. 'It has been given its own district - E20 - and that helps create this idea that it is a separate from the town. 'I . don't think the regeneration and tidying up that's happened before the . Olympics has really had much impact on the wider Stratford area.'
Hackney Wick railway station will be closed to westbound trains .
Local businesses suggest they will lose out on £20,000 of trade as a result .
Organisations say they moved there to take advantage of Olympics .
By . Dani Porter . PUBLISHED: . 06:21 EST, 20 July 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:25 EST, 20 July 2012 . An anti-Olympics piece of graffiti in Hackney Wick shows the sentiment felt by people in the area. Although they are looking forward to the 100metres . Businesses in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium are enraged at what they call the betrayal of Sebastian Coe's promises that London 2012 would boost the local community. One of the boasts of Lord Coe's team was how local businesses would be helped by having the Games on their doorsteps, yet dozens only a few hundred metres from the Olympic Stadium now claim they are being deliberately denied the opportunity to cash-in. In what locals described as an 'extraordinary and shameful' decision just days before the Opening Ceremony, Hackney Wick, one of the railway stations closest to the Olympic Park where tens of thousands of visitors are expected each day is to be closed, depriving businesses of potential customers. Shops, restaurants and bars in the East London area known for its artistic community have been gearing up for thousands of new customers investing money in advertising and PR for the Games, as well as recruiting extra staff in anticipation of brisk trade. Local businessman James Morgan, owner of the bar and cafe The Hackney Pearl, said: 'This decision is outrageous and flies in the face of what we were promised. 'We were led to believe there would be an increase in trade and yet we are now effectively being cut off from any access at all. 'It makes a mockery of the Olympic bid as it was based on these promises.' Many organisations moved to the area to specifically benefit from the Olympics and they are astonished that only now have been told the key access to them is effectively being shut-off. Hackney Wick station is one stop from Stratford, the main gateway to the Olympics, and Transport for London and Lorol, the owners of London Overground, say westbound trains will not pick-up passengers from the station from 1pm each day. They contend the trains are likely to be packed full from Stratford and would not be able to take on extra passengers at Hackney Wick where the platform for those travelling back to Central London would be full. With road closures and bus diversions affecting access to the area and parts of the river towpath, previously touted as an Olympic route, shut down, one supermarket owner said: 'It is an absolute betrayal – we have built-up stocks for these weeks and now it will end-up costing us. 'It seems a disgrace that only now are we being told of this decision, why wasn't it made months ago so we could plan properly?' The Yard Theatre, a performance space approved by The Legacy List, the very creation of which was to rejuvenate the areas closest to the Olympics, is among those hit. Hackney Wick, one of the railway stations closest to the Olympic Park, is to be closed to westbound trains, depriving businesses of potential customers . Producer Dominic Lindesay-Bethune expects at 'a conservative estimate the loss of income of more than £20,000 over the two weeks, with many of our 12 staff being forced to take indeterminate unpaid leave.' Department store chain John Lewis today said Olympics fever helped drive a 17.3 per cent hike in sales as shoppers rushed to snap up London 2012 themed goods. The group notched up £70.3million in sales last week thanks to strong demand for Olympics related sports clothing and homeware, while it also received a boost from the final week of clearance. John Lewis added that customers were hitting stores to pick up bargains as a form of "retail therapy" amid the ongoing poor summer weather. Sales of London 2012 products meant a 39 per cent year-on-year surge in sportswear and spur an 8.9 per cent lift in home revenues in the week to July 14. Fellow local business man Stuart Hatton, joint MD of a local film production company, has sympathy for businesses that rely on footfall: . 'We were looking forward to there being a real buzz in the local community. Some businesses actually moved here to capitalise on the Olympic Games though it now seems that the opposite will happen. I can't see the logic in it and the reason for the decision has not been explained to us.' LOCOG, the London organising authority, have created much fanfare over the amount of work and income that the Games will generate however it seems that for the independent businesses of Hackney Wick the opposite will be true, should this closure go ahead. Resident and owner of Dee Dee's Vintage, Dee O'Connell relies on the train service to meet clients, as well as having staff whose commute will be disrupted. But she also draws attention to the impact it will have on residents. Many of her neighbours are elderly and . they rely on the bus and train services to reach nearby amenities. 'These people will be trapped,' she said. 'I really don't know what they are . going to do. Many of these people are without the internet and cannot . walk more than short distances. Their quality of life will be totally . affected.' Businesses have raised a petition and hope that transport chiefs will relent. Many organisations moved to Hackney Wick to benefit from the Olympics and have been left feeling betrayed that access to them is effectively being shut off . Howard Smith, Chief Operating Officer of TfL London Rail, said: 'During the Games, London will become a massive sporting and cultural venue, with up to one million extra visitors expected in the capital every day at Games-time. 'They will make an additional three million daily journeys, over and above the regular 12m journeys on public transport. 'We and our operators have detailed crowd management plans in place for every station on the network, including Hackney Wick, which will enable us to deal safely with the exceptional increase in passenger numbers on London Overground. 'Those plans are based on the projected increase we expect around key stations serving the Games venues and major Live Sites.' Shops are boarded up, the buildings look tatty and roads are littered with discarded mattresses, cupboards and wardrobes. Welcome to the side of Stratford, east London, that Olympic organisers would rather you didn't see. London . was awarded the 2012 Games after the team behind the bid convinced . officials that it would leave a lasting legacy for the regeneration of . one of the capital's poorest areas. But . these grim pictures, taken only a stone's throw from the Olympic Park, . reveal that more work is needed to turn around Stratford's fortunes. Discarded: Mattresses and furniture line a pavement in Stratford, where some residents are struggling to see how their area has benefited from the Olympics . Tatty: A newsagent's shop in Stratford has its window boarded up . Damaging: This street has a view of the Olympic stadium, but a crashed car has been abandoned on the pavement . Almost £9.3billion has been . spent on the Games - with three-quarters of it earmarked for . regeneration projects - but some residents say it is hard to see where . the money has gone. The area has a new £1.45billion shopping mall, Westfield, which has created 10,000 jobs and brought new waves of shoppers. The . athletes' village is believed to have cost about £1.1billion to build, . although it was sold to Qatari developers last year for only . £557million. But critics fear other parts of Stratford have been forgotten. Julian . Cheyne, of the Counter Olympics Network, a pressure group set up to . hold London 2012 officials to account, said: 'You look at the old . Stratford Centre and it is dwarfed by the new glistening Westfield. 'Westfield . is a stark contrast to the town centre that's for sure. They have . placed some turquoise sculptures in Stratford, but that's about it.' The Olympic 'Orbit' statue overlooks a building in need of refurbishment . Closed: A statue on the Olympic Park stands behind businesses with their shutters down . The dour exterior of the old shopping centre is a world away form the bright Westfield complex. And the town's high street is peppered with shut-down shops and closing down sales. Mr . Cheyne said: 'You could argue that there is no need to spruce it up . because I doubt many visitors to the Olympics will ever bother to . venture outside the Park. 'They will just get the tube or train straight to Stratford and turn left into the Olympic complex. 'It's questionable what tarting up . the area would actually do for the fortunes of the businesses. They will . just be inconvenienced by the Games.' Shopkeeper Uday Patel, who runs a . newsagent business in the Stratford Centre opposite Westfield, said: . 'Money needs to be invested in the Stratford Centre, not just the . Olympic Park. A bed shop is closed with shutters drawn down in Stratford town centre . 'It doesn't impact locals if not. How are we meant to compete? 'The least the council could do is lower our rates so we can be more competitive because business has been affected badly.' Residents said the changes they had seen so far were cosmetic. Joe . Alexander said: 'I'm glad Westfield is there, it's a great local . facility for the people of Stratford but you can't help feel it was . created more for people from outside to come in, shop and leave without . really entering the real Stratford. 'It has been given its own district - E20 - and that helps create this idea that it is a separate from the town. 'I . don't think the regeneration and tidying up that's happened before the . Olympics has really had much impact on the wider Stratford area.'
staff in anticipation of brisk trade. Local effectively being shut-off. Hackney Wick station Stratford and would not be able to take on extra closed to westbound trains, depriving businesses as a form of "retail therapy" amid the ongoing visitors to the Olympics will ever bother to .