COUNCILLORS on a Greenwich Council Licensing Committee have backed a large temporary camp site on the Greenwich Peninsula next year.
The OranjeCamping scheme was back before councillors at the Town Hall in Woolwich yesterday after a previous licensing bid was thrown out.
The up-market camp site aimed at Dutch visitors to London 2012 now has permission, with conditions attached, to sell alcohol and put on live music for guests next summer.
Fears over noise and damage to the nearby Greenwich Ecology Park were raised by opponents but the applicant convinced councillors on the committee that the camp site would not cause a nuisance to nearby residents or to the ecology park.
The license granted means alcohol will be able to be sold on site until 1.30am and live music is permitted to 11pm, after which time background music may continue indoors until 1.45am.
Security patrols by contractor G4S would ensure guests behaved at night and a 24 hour manned complaints line would be in operation to deal with any issues, the applicant explained.
Ward councillor, Mary Mills, spoke on behalf of local residents concerned about proposed road closures in West Parkside - which will be examined by a separate meeting of the Highways Committee - and also questioned whether consultation had taken place with the local travelling community.
Oranjecamping's counsel apologised to representatives from the Greenwich Ecology Park after he riled them by pointing out that the protection of "fish, birds and frogs" was not an objective of the licensing application.
He added: "This application is, if granted, likely to lead to an event that is very good news for Greenwich. With the conditions that are on this license, if you grant it, it's not going to lead to any undue nuisance or disorder."
The licensing bid covers HCA-owned land next to Peartree Way, some of which had been been established as the Meantime Nursery. A ‘business lounge’ will be at the northern end of the site, near the River Walkway opposite Greenwich Yacht Club.
View a map of the site that has been granted a license.
The previous application that was rejected by the council had included the use of Greenwich Yacht Club and also plans for a 45,000 capacity concert venue.
[…] the Pilot pub and the A102 were approved last December, proposals for a campsite have also been backed at the second attempt, while a licensing application for the beach at Delta Wharf comes up before councillors next week. […]