Lord Coe Responds To Greenwich Critics
March 18, 2009 by Rob Powell
Seb Coe has written an article for the Telegraph in which he attempts to rebut the “myths” propogated by a “vocal minority” concerning the use of Greenwich Park as an Olympic venue.
The Locog chairman says one of the reasons for choosing Greenwich is that the location enables equestrian competitors to feel part of the games and not be detached from the main events as they have often been in previous games although he seems a little less concerned about the sailing teams who will be based in Weymouth.
He acknowledges that there might not be a “bricks and mortar” legacy but asserts that “having the equestrian events at Badminton or Burghley is not necessarily going to put one more child on a horse”.
Responding to claims that the park could be closed for a year, he says that constructions of the arena will begin in the park in April 2012 although critics will point out that he neglects to mention the test event planned for 2011. He refers to local residents as “partners” in the project and says there will be full public consultations as formal planning permission is sought.
Read the article for yourself – do you find Lord Coe’s arguments convincing?
So we’re partners in the project? What would Coe say if these partners said they didn’t want the games here? I bet we’d get them anyway. Some partners!
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If we are partners in the project when do we get invited along to the planning meetings?
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Coe says in his article;
“What about legacy? It is a key deliverable of our project, but I’ve always said legacy is not just about the bricks and mortar we leave behind.”
So, what is it about? How can something be a key deliverable of a project if you don’t know what it is? Have LOCOG got any idea what it is yet?
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So we’re partners of Locog? At least now I know what it is like to be in an abusive relationship!!!
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