Greenwich news and information
A photo showing the scarification work being undertaken in Greenwich Park for the London 2012 cross country event. Read about "acid grass" here and here on the Greenwich Phantom's blog and on the Greenwich.co.uk forum.
There's more photos in the "Greenwich _Park" photostream on Flickr.com
[…] LOCOG in the first place, we perhaps wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in now, with people worrying about works in Greenwich Park taking place with little explanation of what’s going on, fuelling rumours of permanent […]
[…] was the wrong idea, and that it would have been better to have had a proper report into this now the park’s undergoing the “scarification” treatment which has got many people worried, and with concerns about road closures remaining […]
Ok, folks, what do you think are the chances of that sapling still being there in 2013? Zip, I should imagine, The Royal Parks’ assurance notwithstanding (that no trees will be felled as part of the x-country course preparation). LOCOG vandals.
Scarification is exactly the right word…
The amenity societies are very quiet. Let’s hear from you – Greenwich Society, Blackheath Society, Westcombe Society, “Friends” of Greenwich Park – you are on LOCOG’s advisory group, you have given your blessing to LOCOG starting the cross-country course preparation before discharging the whole of planning condition 1. This appalling damage is happening because you let it.
The company in charge of preparing the course is the Sports Turf Institute
http://www.stri.co.uk
– that’s right, SPORTS TURF, whose professional skills and expertise are all in preparing and managing golf links. Not fragile, unique, bio-diverse, World Heritage Sites. I can easily imagine that Lee Penrose (STRI)
http://www.stri.co.uk/en/about-stri/stri-staff/ecology/lee-penrose/
just told the workmen to keep “scarifying” until there was nothing left. Indeed, it occurs to me to ask: do these workmen with their rakes have any relevant park management qualifications at all, or did LOCOG/STRI bring in some people from the local Job Centre.