DETAILED plans for the hosting of London 2012 events in Greenwich Park won the backing of councillors last night.
The Planning Board voted to support the application from Locog who were submitting details of how they plan to deliver the equestrian events in Greenwich Park.
A new picture was revealed (see above) showing how organisers think the temporary stadium in the park will look. Locog also disclosed that on cross country day – the busiest day of the equestrian events – there will be a total of 50,000 ticketed spectators at the venue, a figure scaled down from previous estimates.
Concerns were raised by critics about the pruning of trees in Greenwich Park, the positioning of security lighting down the Maze Hill side of the park and about the restoration of the Circus Field, which will be used as a service area.
Greenwich West councillor and Deputy Mayor, David Grant, spoke – as a resident – in favour of the application but said he would to see donkey rides retained by the gates of Greenwich Park, and also suggested that Locog “grass over” Duke Humphrey Road as a legacy project.
Locog said grassing over the road would be an expensive project but they are in discussions regarding the fate of the donkey rides at games time.
Councillor Steve Offord said he was “perfectly satisfied” with the details, although he did add that the travel plans were “badly in need of review”.
Cllr Dermot Poston voted against the original application and remained unconvinced: “All that equestrian and entertainment junk is just a travesty of the Greenwich Park I’ve known all my life,” he said.
Councillor Denise Hyland was more positive: “I think these are going to be absolutely iconic pictures of our park and they are going to be beamed around the world, making Greenwich even more famous than it already is,” she said.
The Planning Board voted in favour of the application by a majority of 4-2.
Listen to London 2012 Greenwich Park Venue Manager, Jeremy Edwards, reacting to the decision:
North Greenwich Arena plans on display
Later on today, a drop in session will open at Ravensbourne College where London 2012 organisers will explain their transport plans for North Greenwich.
The O2 arena will be renamed as the North Greenwich Arena and a shuttle bus service will get ticket-holders to the venue from Charlton railway station.
Bars and restaurants inside the O2 will remain open throughout the games, although non-Olympic visitors will have to travel through the same queues and security as spectators. Commuter parking, managed by AEG, will be remain open throughout the games.
London 2012 organisers have put together their plans without mention of the under-development cable car, but they say if it’s completed by the games, they will be prepared for it.
London 2012 Drop-in sessions at Ravensbourne College
Friday 27th – Noon – 8pm
Saturday 28th – 10am – 4pm
LOCOG fielded 15 people at the planning board meeting. Were they worried that someone would point out that Circus Field is Crown land not in the Crown Estate? Crown land has not been exempt from planning law for many years.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/150982.pdf
The planning board decision could be the subject of a complaint to the Planning Inspectorate (procedural failures).
Even if the “Crown body” organising the “development” of the Crown land happens to be the Crown Estate, a normal planning rigmarole has to be gone through, just like any other, and an Environmental Impact Assessment is not optional. Even when the “development site” is not a Site of Nature Conservation of Metropolitan Importance. Which Circus Field is.
We have it from Derrick Spurr’s own lips that the maximum safe capacity of the Park is 17,000 (in an otherwise empty Park). But even after Thursday night’s planning board, no one is any nearer knowing the real maximum safe capacity of Greenwich Park for the purposes of the Olympics (ie as assessed by experts in the fire authorities working with all the information about the temporary structures – including 23,000-seat stadium, 500-seat hospitality structure, 4 mile long cross-country course, screens, generators, the world media’s pantechnicons, veterinary station, ambulances, loos, security, and electrified fencing).
This is a slow-motion train crash, and I am not the only one who thinks this.
The other three will be glad you brought it up though…
Wolfe – behave!
17,000 seems a little light, I take it that he’s not aware that the marathon starts in the park each year. I think there’s a few more than 17,000 milling around for that.
Technically a slow-motion train crash would do little harm! Its the speedy ones you need to look out for.
D
Yay!! I’ve been waiting for Indigo to trot out once again this mythical figure of 17,000 (well, it used to be 15,000, but who’s counting?).
I actually read the ‘Discharge of Conditions Application’ report – unlike Indigo, it would appear. In section 7.5, page 16, the Royal Parks are quoted as follows:
“The Royal Parks are conscious that capacity has been a concern for some
people and that this has been perhaps heightened through misinformation.
Apparently the Royal Parks was quoted as stating that the capacity of the
Park is around 15,000. This figure is erroneous and has never been given as
the capacity of the Park. The only events where these sorts of numbers
were given were for a film and a food festival that occurred on two separate
occasions on a section of the Bandstand Field.”
This clear, unequivocal statement by the Royal Parks that the capacity of the Park is NOT 15,000 (or 17,000) should get Indigo to stop saying so. However, that would require a modicum of rationality – which is evidently inconsistent with her Munchausen-by-Olympics-proxy syndrome.
So, roll on more misinformation, Indigo… it’s really helping the local community.
*snort* Coffee out the nose!
Well done.
Once again: it’s a shame that indigo’s paranoia, conspiracy theories, and conviction that anyone who doesn’t agree with her is “one of them” tends to damage her cause. We need rational oversight of LOCOG, not deranged fantasies and blatant misrepresentation of fact.
Hear hear, Paul. And LOCOG does continue to require a great deal of critical and constructive local engagement – particularly on the communications front, where they’ve been pretty poor, and the now-pressing issue of local transport during the Games, which is a mess.