Lewisham Council has expressed serious concerns about the controversial plan to stage the Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich Park, we can reveal.
In an email obtained by greenwich.co.uk, Stuart Sharp, Lewisham’s highways development manager, raises a series of pertinent “areas of concern” about the ability of the local road and rail networks to cope with the spectator and competitor influx for the Games, particularly on the day of the cross-country event.
In the email to Greenwich Council, dated 18 February, Mr Sharp writes: “When does the major cross-country attraction occur – hopefully on a weekend? If it doesn’t, then given the predicted 75,000-plus crowd, plus two to three thousand workforce plus competitors all arriving 90 mins or earlier before the events start at 11am means that most will be attempting to travel… during the morning peak. Similarly, the reverse pattern could occur during the evening travel peak.”
The day of the cross-country event, 31 July 2012, is a Tuesday.
Mr Sharp says that even the Park’s “smaller” events – involving between 22,700 and 55,000 people – will place enormous demands on the local transport network. He protests that the Games organisers have done “no analysis of public transport capacity to absorb the predicted [number of] people requiring to travel to and from the site.”
He asks: “Is there sufficient timetable, line and platform capacity to cope with the predicted numbers, particularly on weekdays? How will bus operations be affected if the bus lanes in Romney Road are used for pedestrian movement? I can’t find any detail [in the plans] of park-and-ride strategy and direct coach arrival and departure arrangements.
“Where are the drop-off, pick-up and coach queuing points? Where will the 200-250 coaches park after drop-off and before pick-up? The [transport plan] suggests the site off Creek Road hitherto earmarked for the Greenwich Waterfront Transit depot – surely that won’t be big enough and will it still be available?”
A failure to set out important plans in sufficient detail is becoming a bit of a theme with the Greenwich Olympics. We still don’t know which trees will be affected by the promised “pruning” operations. We don’t know the full closure schedule. We don’t know where all the temporary buildings will go. We don’t even know exactly what the main arena will look like!
But the transport position is serious. Unlike north of the river, Greenwich is to see no transport capacity improvements (apart from a third car on the DLR.) The existing network will, in fact, be reduced in capacity by the likely creation of a competitors-only lane through the Blackwall Tunnel. As well as the visual, amenity and ecological damage to the park, and the damage to the tourist industry of seeing it closed for weeks, there now appears to be a risk of wider economic damage that the area’s roads and railways will seize up.
Locog’s coyness on transport detail is understandable: their fear must be that Mr Sharp’s questions are impossible to answer. But planning applications require detail. It was a lack of detail, as much as anything else, which doomed Greenwich Hospital’s application for the market redevelopment – and that application was rather fuller than the Olympic one.
As anyone who has used the area’s transport network during the rush hour will know, it is essentially at capacity, sometimes beyond. Although the Games will take place during the summer holiday season – and some of the travel will be against the peak flow – it is a further example of the way in which the Olympic organisers decided this venue on the basis of pretty pictures rather than serious examination.
Lewisham’s borough boundary comes within a few hundred yards of the park, and Mr Sharp’s email raises the fascinating possibility that the council could formally object to the application.
That possibility still seems remote – but it is a real indictment of Greenwich Council’s uncritical cheerleading for the Olympics that important objections are only raised by a neighbouring borough.
Er, I’d like to put in a word on behalf of the faith communities of both boroughs. If the x-country is at the weekend, you can forget about attending your usual place of worship located near the Park or on any of the access roads.
Incidentally, how is Ramadan being “accommodated” (the Olympics take place during Ramadan, 20 July – 18 August), LOCOG has yet to tell us? Enquiring minds needs to know. (In 2004, a quarter of the athletes were from Muslim countries, and there are around 10,000 Muslim families in Greenwich, and over 11,000 in Lewisham.)
If any of the horses are Muslim presumably they will be fasting? Will this put hem at a competitve disadvantage? Have LOCOG though of this?
It is misguided to suppose the situation would be easier at the weekend. Experience shows that gridlock happens far more often at the Gibb Memorial Traffioc Lights and the Prince Charles Road/A2 roundabout (both identified as critical bottlenecks in the transport appendices) on Summer weekends than during the week
Ramallah
Holding the equestrianism events of the 2012 Olympiad in Greenwich Park is a once in a lifetime chance for Greenwich to shine in the televised eyes of the world. For NOGOE to claim that the event would negetively impact Greenwich’s economy is a blatant untruth and frankly quite dishonest. For a start the expected 50-75,000 people that attend, will spend their money in our local area providing a one-off filip to the economy. The world-televised cross country event across Greenwich Park’s fabulous vista, will act as the perfect advertisement for tourists to visit Greenwich and spend their money here for years to come.
As for possible transport accesibility issues, people forget that 30,000 regularly attend the free fireworks event on Blackheath and the London Marathon that starts in the heath and progresses through Greenwich. The massed crowds are rarely a problem and in fact these events are the highlights of our calendar, rather than being problems. So for the equestrianism, I am sure a co-ordinated plan can be found that makes best use of Greenwich, Maze Hill, Blackheath and Lewisham stations plus the DLR line alongside.
As for the Park itself, yes the event will close areas of the park for a period of time beforehand, to prepare the course for the Games and thereon to return it back to its current state. But, I would rather have this once in a lifetime spectacle with the money it will inject into our economy, than loose it to Burleigh or Badminton, that frankly can do without it. The locals deserve it.
So I’d request that Greenwich Council please ignore the hysterical scaremongering of NOGOE – populated as they are by the elitist, remote Blackheath Society who are only acting in their own Luddite self interest – and listen to the local communal majority who would welcome it.
@Pugw4sh on March 1st, 2010 5:54 pm
the expected 50-75,000 people that attend, will spend their money in our local area
No they won’t because they won’t be allowed to. Do your own research into the IOC “clean venue” policy, which has nothing to do with street-cleaning.
NOGOE – populated as they are by the elitist, remote Blackheath Society
Oooh, a new insult. Haven’t heard that one before. And it is not true.
How many days do we have to wait till the council approve the games in the park… I can’t wait and I can’t stand the nogoe ranting anymore…
It really is a once in a lifetime event…. end of story!!!!
BRING ON THE GAMES!
Steve, I suggest that you get a life.
A LOCOG spokesperson provided the following response to this article:
“Andrew Gilligan’s piece about transport for the London 2012 Games does not acknowledge the plans already in place and those currently being developed to meet Games-time transport demands in Greenwich.
London 2012 is investing £80m in the DLR, which includes the co-funding of 22 of the DLR’s 55 new rail cars and various track and station improvements to increase capacity and improve reliability across the network. This is in addition to TfL’s investment in the 3-car trains and stations for the DLR’s Bank-Lewisham service.
London 2012 will also fund additional rail services at Games time to provide greater capacity where necessary to cater for the increased demand. During the Games there will also be upgrades to local bus services to enhance local access. A further improvement that will directly benefit Greenwich is the provision of a new roof for Greenwich Pier. This will be funded by London 2012 and delivered by London River Services with the plans currently being developed. Walking and cycling schemes between Greenwich and Woolwich are also being delivered using London 2012 funding
In addition to this, Southeastern will increase mainline capacity to Greenwich, Maze Hill and Blackheath stations.
LOCOG’s planning application for Greenwich Park does not propose to create an Olympic Lane within the Blackwall Tunnel. Current proposals are to introduce highway measures on the approaches on either side of the Tunnel. The ODA and TfL are still looking at all options for the operation of these measures. Two and a half years out from the Games we are obviously still assessing transport arrangements and are working closely with all our stakeholders on our plans.
Lewisham Council has also issued a statement of clarification about this inaccurate story stating that it fully supports the London Games, and the fact that Equestrian Events are taking place in Greenwich Park. The Council will continue to work with the Olympic Delivery Authority, The London Organising Committee and Greenwich Council to resolve any issues relating to the Greenwich Park planning application.”