LONDON 2012 has backed away from a pledge it made only last month over the total closure of Greenwich Park for the controversial Olympic equestrian events.
In a press release on 28 September, Locog announced without qualification that the period of complete closure would be cut to “four weeks, from 6 July to 3 August 2012.”
The announcement was presented as a “key concession” and hailed by the Greenwich Society as a “clear commitment as to the length of Park closure.”
However, material produced for this week’s public consultation in Greenwich shows that this “clear commitment” has already been abandoned.
In its consultation brochure Locog no longer promises to reopen the majority of the park, or any of it, on 3 August. Instead it says it will “seek” to reopen “some areas” of the park “potentially as soon as 3 August.”
Further material published on Locog’s website says explicitly: “We are unable to make guarantees about Park closures.”
As well as the total closure in summer 2012, large parts of the Park will be closed for most of the rest of the year to allow a 23,000-seat showjumping arena, ancillary buildings and stabling for 200 horses to be erected and dismantled.
It had been believed that these closures, beginning in April 2012, would be lifted in October. However, a presentation published on the Locog site shows that closures are now expected to continue until at least November.
The same presentation also shows that the Park’s closure in 2011 for the pre-Olympic test event will be far greater than previously expected.
The closure will seal off almost half the park for three weeks in June and July 2011. Almost everything which lies east of the road running through the park – except the children’s playground, the flower garden and a small area around the Observatory – will be closed.
Locog’s press release also said that “there are no planned residential road closures.” However, the presentation shows that three residential roads, Park Vista, Maze Hill and Shooters Hill Road, are designated as “core Olympic Route Network” roads, which will carry the vast majority of traffic to the Park. It seems unlikely that these will not be closed.
The presentation also makes clear that there will be a coach park in the Park for vehicles bringing competitors, staff and the “Olympic family.”
The presentation says spectators for the arena will enter the Park through the grounds of the Royal Naval College and pass through security on the front lawn of the National Maritime Museum. This means that 23,000 people will have to cross, or queue up on, Romney Road – thus almost certainly requiring its closure, too, during the Games.
Charlton Way, the main road immediately to the south of the Park, will also be closed and a “vehicle screening point” will be set up at the junction with Maze Hill.
The material also includes the first plan for the cross-country course which has not been labelled “indicative.” This shows that the course will cross directly through an avenue of the Park’s most precious trees, sweet chestnuts planted in the reign of Charles II, which are among the oldest living things in London.
One further piece of news: last week’s Mercury quotes a statement by Tim Hadaway, the equestrian competition manager, that the Olympics will “bring activity around the clock.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to it more than ever!