Opponents of plans for the 2012 Equestrian events to be held in Greenwich Park held a meeting at the Forum@Greenwich in Trafalgar Road last week to discuss the next steps in their campaign.
Issues discussed at the NOGOE (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) meeting included advertising restrictions on local traders near to the venue, enforceable under the Olympics Act 2006, and also a possible partial closure of the park again the year after the Olympics to allow for re-seeding where the temporary 23,000 seater stadium will have been erected.
The protest group also put forward the idea that if the events were not held in Greenwich Park, it could still form part of the games by being a location for large TV screens for viewing all of the events from an iconic location.
NOGOE have so far collected 6,000 signatures against the plans, and appealed to supporters to assist with further signature collections and even a possibly rally which might include a human ring around the park.
Sev D’Souza from NOGOE tells Greenwich.co.uk that they do not yet consider this to be a done deal, and they believe that LOCOG has a “plan B” which they could be forced to adopt if there are enough protests.
Meanwhile, Greenwich Council has called on LOCOG to ensure that they consult local people over possible road closures. The Government has published the Olympic Route Network (ORN) – roads that could be closed whilst the games take place – which includes 44 roads in the borough of Greenwich.
Cllr Roberts, said, “”It’s crucial that the Olympic agencies take into account the views of local residents and businesses – who are after all the ones who will be most affected – before finalising their transport plans. Local people should be reassured that the Council will not support any proposals that fail to reflect local concerns.”