Save Greenwich Park from Olympic Equestrian events in 2012

NOGOE (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) is a community action group whose members believe Greenwich Park is not a suitable venue for the 2012 Olympic equestrian events. We are extremely worried about the impact the Olympics will have on the Park and the local community. We also believe the Park will not provide a satisfactory experience for the competitors and spectators, so we are campaigning for the equestrian events to be moved to a more suitable venue.

NOGOE has submitted a comprehensive case for refusing planning permission for the Olympics in Greenwich Park. Read it here in easy-to-access sections on the Planning Application page.

Breaking news ...

7 February 2010 - Daily Mail (6 February 2010) - Charles Sale - Protesters hunt down TV historian in bid to stop 2012 Olympics equestrian at Greenwich Park "recent artefacts dug up on the world heritage site might be the remains of a Tudor building. NOGOE want Starkey, a Tudor specialist, to have the definitive say on the bricks and tiles discovered a few inches below the surface before Greenwich council's planning board give their verdict next month on the equestrian blueprint." Read the Daily Mail article here.

6 February 2010: Hoodwinked - how LOCOG misled the Establishment over Greenwich Park Olympics - with the submission of the Planning Application, the truth is out, LOCOG admit that there will be damage to the ecology and archaeology - public safety issue concerning the underground conduits, which could collapse if provoked by the construction work, spectator movements and the race itself - LOCOG claims to have properly evaluated Windsor (as one of the alternative venues) but they did not even visit Windsor (and the other evaluations involved a mere one-hour visit to each of the other established equestrian sites, according to original BEF evaluation) - people from home and abroad have objected in record numbers - based on soundings from our supporter base, NOGOE expects that the objection count is around 2000, probably a record for Greenwich Council planning applications. Read the NOGOE media release for further details.

5 February 2010: Formal letter of representation to Greenwich Council from The Society for the Protection of Urban Green Space. "Objection to planning applications 09/2598/F and 09/2599/L - The use of Greenwich Park for the 2012 equestrian event presents a serious long-term threat to the delicate ecology of this city park which is part of our national heritage and should be protected and conserved. In an era of climate change, the value of Greenwich Park cannot be over emphasised. The damage to ecosystems, reduction in arboriculture and depletion of public urban green space that would result from this inappropriate use of the park are not an acceptable price to pay for a sporting event that could easily be held elsewhere using existing equestrian sports facilities.

It should be remembered that not only our environment is under threat, but also our economy. To approve the abovementioned planning applications would be an irresponsible waste of public money."

3 February 2010: the Mail on Sunday(31 January) had news that LOCOG were confident of obtaining planning permission despite 1500 objections, quoting a spokesman saying, "After listening to local residents we adapted our plans and reduced the Park closure time to 4 weeks. We will make sure we return the Park in the condition in which we receive it, or better". The reporter went on to say that the odds are short on Greenwich Council passing the application.

NOGOE's comments on this are:

LOCOG has a track record of broken promises. What happened to the tree survey that was promised? What happened to the Park being big enough for everything (so Circus Field, Blackheath, would not be needed)?
In view of the severe risks being taken with the ecology, archaeology and historic landscape (as several independent expert bodies have pointed out), LOCOG are deluding themselves and, more importantly, the public, if they think the Park could be returned to pre Games condition. To give just three examples: (a) it is impossible to stick branches back on trees or (b) to restore grassland (at least 6 hectares are involved), mainly in a 10 metre by 6 kilometre strip for the cross-country course, to the quality that it is now - the "new" grass would be a mark on the Park for decades to come; and (c) the topography of "the finest Baroque landscape in England" is unlikely to be the same after it has been levelled for the stadium's field of play.
How can anyone quote odds until all the evidence has been considered?

1 February 2010: James Bulley of LOCOG assured an audience of members of local societies on 23 September 2009 that, "We have surveyed all 3000 trees in the Park". So why is there no tree survey in the planning application? And why is there no map of the cross country track in relation to the trees? And what is The Royal Parks' response to LOCOG's cavalier attitude and the points made in NOGOE's comment on the trees which you must read in full here.

[Royal Parks broken promise 1]

31 January 2010 - PLEASE, LOCOG, CAN WE HAVE SOME MORE? The Westcombe Society is another statutory consultee to comment on the inadequacy of LOCOG's planning application. They have particular concerns about the height of the arena and are calling for a revised design. However their focus is on the need for more information: MORE on access, MORE on assessments of transport demand, MORE on legacy, MORE on 2011 and 2012 closures. Read the full submission here: http://westcombe.blogspot.com/

30 January 2010 - Unexpected but thoroughly reasonable comments have been made to the Greenwich Park Planning Application by two influential local amenity societies.

1. Greenwich Society has expressed major concerns, not least about the cross country course, which they describe as follows: "cordoning by fencing would create a 'cat's cradle'of visually obtrusive obstacles throughout most of the Park". You can read their full submission on their website: www.greenwichsociety.org.uk

2. Blackheath Society has been more unequivocal by opposing the application. The Society has opposed the Olympics planning application for Greenwich Park, saying it is neither specific nor complete on many important issues, and is contradictory in some areas. Full details are on their website, remember to click on their letter and 5 annexes here: www.blackheath.org

28 January 2010 - Pippa Cuckson, Daily Telegraph (published 6.31pm 27 January 2010) - London 2012 equestrian venue Greenwich Park targeted by opponents: "By Wednesday's deadline over 1,500 formal objections had been lodged with Greenwich Borough Council against LOCOG's obligatory planning application.

A damning blow comes from ICOMOS-UK whose parent body, the International Council of Monuments and Sites, is advisor to UNESCO who designated Greenwich a World Heritage Site in 1997. They claim that far from enhancing the park's reputation, the equestrian Olympics will deter tourists, and that significant damage could be caused by equine and spectator infrastructure.

Of the 294 neighbouring residences, 265 are against, with the Greenwich Society accusing LOCOG of understating the impact of the eventing track, 'a cat's cradle of visually obtrusive obstacles'". Read the rest of the article at the Daily Telegraph.

28 January 2010 - ICOMOS-UK has issued a strong response to LOCOG's Planning Applications, which you can read here. In submitting this letter, which recommends that the Council do not approve the applications, they are not commenting on behalf of their parent body, ICOMOS, nor supporting the NOGOE group. This independent stance, unlike that from government agencies, enhances the value of their advice, which it is hoped that the Planning Board will heed. Read ICOMOS-UK letter to Greenwich Council. (ICOMOS-UK plays an essential role in advising on aspects of World Heritage, and on sites for nomination, across the UK. ICOMOS-UK is the National Committee of ICOMOS, an adviser to UNESCO on cultural WHSs.)

27 January 2010 - Andrew Gilligan, at Greenwich.co.uk - Locog admits Windsor Is a Better Venue: "TODAY is the official deadline to object to the stupidest planning application since somebody tried to build a life-sized copy of Buckingham Palace out of processed cheese. The Olympics want to come to Greenwich Park, and aren't we all thrilled? No, actually: of the 286 responses received by the council so far, 265 - or 92.7 per cent - are against.

That won't be the final figure - there are some big wodges of objections still to be registered - and in practice you can carry on submitting objections until just before the planning meeting, which I strongly recommend. Over the next few weeks, as councillors look through the application, I'll be unpicking some of its key weaknesses." Read the rest of Andrew Gilligan's article on Greenwich.co.uk

26 January 2010: It's the LAST DAY of the planning consultation period which ends on 27 January. Several specialist groups have already sent in objections, and today Rescue, The British Archaeological Trust, added its voice to concern over damaging Olympic proposals for Greenwich Park. Visit their website: www.rescue-archaeology.org.uk. Rescue is backing a campaign led by NOGOE and part of their objection letter states, "Bearing in mind current legislation (principally with reference to the 1979 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act, PPGs15, PPG16 and the UNESCO Convention on World Heritage), it cannot be considered legal, reasonable or appropriate for a significant heritage landscape such as Greenwich Park to be put under serious threat of irreparable and widespread damage, simply to facilitate a transient sporting event".

20 January 2010 - Evening Standard, Matthew Beard, Sports News Correspondent: Date set for first 2012 Olympics ticket sales (it is bad news for those Greenwich residents and the chair of the East Greenwich Traders who may have thought that they'd be offered free or cheap tickets to the equestrian events): "Sports fans will be able to buy tickets for the Olympics from the start of next year, the Standard understands. ... Next year, the public will be able to apply for tickets through a ballot system which will account for up to 85 per cent of the 9.2 million tickets ... credit card purchases can only be made using Visa - the official Olympic credit card. In the ballot there will be no preferential treatment for Londoners, who will contribute an average £120 each in council tax to the Games budget." Read whole article here

[Artist's impression of the 23,000 seater stadium in Greenwich Park, viewed from the north]

17 January 2010 - NOGOE's Public Meeting to discuss the implications of the planning application: John Hine, NOGOE Coordinator, chaired the meeting and had this to say, " We were delighted to see a packed hall (more than 200 people) for our meeting at John Roan School. The meeting was open to everyone and, contrary to what LOCOG may say, it was clear from questions and comments that the overwhelming majority of local residents are against the use of Greenwich Park for the Olympics:" Read the rest of this report of NOGOE's Public Meeting.

16 January 2010 - London 2012 will break Victorian law if they use Greenwich Park claim critics: London 2012's plans to stage its Olympic equestrian events in historic Greenwich Park is set to face another challenge: from an obscure piece of Victorian legislation. Read the whole article at Inside The Games.

15 January 2010 - Protestors hope to derail Greenwich Olympic plan using Victorian law: Campaigners opposed to the use of Greenwich Park during the 2012 Olympics claim to have found a law that renders the recent planning application for the park unlawful. Read the rest of the article in Horse and Hound

15 January 2010 Lionel Lewis was interviewed by Adrian Warner for BBC London in which he showed the 1871 Scheme that would make it unlawful for Circus Field to be used for the Olympics.

More at Greenwich Olympic equestrian venue 'breaks 1866 law', 14 January 2010 Note, by the way, when Tim Hadaway says, "there are times, for instance when the circus is here, when there would be areas that are not accessible to the public", he is betraying his ignorance of the area and event - when the circus is here on Blackheath, it is not enclosed; there is nothing to prevent you from walking among and between the caravans and trailers.

See also the Greenwich magazine web site, 19th century law will scupper LOCOG's plans, says NOGOE

14 January 2010 - LOCOG Planning Application - NOGOE has filed its preliminary objection with Greenwich Council. Read the preliminary statement letter (.pdf, 220kb) and appendices (.pdf, 396kb) here. If you haven't yet sent in your own views on the LOCOG Planning Application, please do so as soon as possible and no later than 27th January 2010. E-mails should be sent to planningapps@greenwich.gov.uk. Letters should be addressed to Greenwich Council (comments on applications), Planning Department, Crown Building, 5th Floor, 48 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6HQ (or fax to 020 8921 5442). Please note that e-mails and letters should include the Planning Application reference numbers - 09/2598/F and 09/2599/L - and the full name and address of the objector. All objections must be received by the Council as soon as possible (but not later than 27th January 2010). It would be very helpful if you could bcc an e-mail objection to reply@nogoe2012.com and simply send/e-mail us a copy of anything sent by post (NOGOE, 17 City Business Centre, Lower Road, London SE16 2XB).

13 January 2010 - the scheme that'll scupper LOCOG's plans: In December NOGOE learnt of the news that LOCOG's proposal to use Circus Field, Blackheath, would be unlawful because erection of their compound is not permitted under the Metropolitan Commons Act 1866 and the Supplemental Act for Blackheath of 1871. When interrogated about this by a DCMS Select Committee, Lord Coe stated that lawyers were working on it to obtain permission.

However retired solicitor, Lionel Lewis, who researched this Act in the Law Society library, noted the reference to a management scheme for Blackheath, which he then located in the Heritage Library at Woolwich Arsenal. The Scheme not only prohibits enclosure generally but limits enclosure by those managing the Heath to the shortest period of time for the purpose only of repair of the grasses.

Further research into the Commons Act of 2006 has revealed that where there is a scheme, such as at Blackheath, there is no means for obtaining any permission to build any fence or structure. Read the rest of the NOGOE press release, .pdf 132kb

11 January 2010 - 2012 Olympics 'stormtroopers are harming small businesses': London's Olympics chiefs have been accused of behaving like "stormtroopers" towards small businesses. Read more from the Evening Standard article

10 January 2010: On 30 November 2009, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request was made to the Royal Parks Agency for "Information held by The Royal Parks on subterranean features that are under Greenwich Park, specifically the Hyde Vale tunnel and all associated tunnels which are local and/or connected". The Royal Parks Agency replied on 23 December 2009 with three documents relevant to these structures in The Royal Parks files.

The first of these is part of a survey report commissioned from "Irriplan" in April 2009 to assess the potential of the conduit system to supply water to the Greenwich Park (the letter from the Royal Parks Agency says that the full report with maps/plans is too big to e-mail but offered to send a copy by post).

This survey report is also referred to on the Irriplan web site, "Royal Parks Agency Water requirements study for Regents Park sports pitches and landscape irrigation, also at Hyde Park, Kensington Gdns and at Greenwich Park for Olympic equestrian eventing "

If LOCOG intends to use the conduits in Greenwich Park for any purpose in connection with the proposed Olympic equestrian events, full information should have been provided with its planning application.

8 January 2010 - Greenwich Park Planning Application - 3000 pages but not the right kind of detail: What's most worrying about LOCOG's application is what it doesn't contain ... For this reason, and in order for the public to have their say on the application, NOGOE is holding an OPEN MEETING on Sunday 17 January at 2pm at John Roan School, Maze Hill, Greenwich. Local councillors and planning officers have been invited.

Even though it is possible to assess the enormity and unacceptability of LOCOG's proposals, they are incomplete and many details are omitted - from the precise routing of the cross-country track to the method of construction of the main stadium (three alternatives are presented). They are full of actions that "may" be necessary, actions that will be taken "where" or "if" "possible" or "practicable" and plans "to be developed". Conditions or requirements for subsequent approvals would be meaningless, because it would be almost certainly impossible for anyone to stop the juggernaut at that stage. Read more of the NOGOE press release, .pdf 131kb

8 January 2010 - Greenwich Park - Why take risks with Britain's Heritage?: Holding the Equestrian Olympics in Greenwich Park is a bad idea, and it may never have got off the ground if the bid company: (a) had not over-estimated the size of the Park; (b) had carried out rudimentary environmental research; and (c) had done a cost-benefit analysis against comparative sites.

Having won the bid, the organiser, LOCOG, is determined to go through with its plans despite the problems posed by holding such a major event in a fragile World Heritage Site. Its determination is rooted in the fact that equestrian is in decline; an iconic setting in an urban location might help to promote it, and the International Equestrian Federation has made it clear that, if Greenwich Park is not used, then the prospects for the sport in future Olympics are in peril. Hence the pressure to take risks. Read more at the Games Monitor

8 January 2010: LBC Radio, London's news station reported on the 1 o'clock news that residents in south London are threatening court action against Greenwich Council if a secure compound is built on Blackheath for the Olympics. UPDATED Read more

8 January 2010: Deadline for receipt of objections by Greenwich Council has been extended to 27 January 2010. Please do not be inhibited about making your objection, either by post or e-mail. E-mails should be sent to planningapps@greenwich.gov.uk. Letters should be addressed to Greenwich Council (comments on applications), Planning Department, Crown Building, 5th Floor, 48 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6HQ (or fax to 020 8921 5442). Please note that e-mails and letters should include the full name and address of the objector. All objections must be received by the Council as soon as possible (but not later than 27th January 2010). It would be very helpful if you could bcc an e-mail objection to reply@nogoe2012.com and simply send/e-mail us a copy of anything sent by post (NOGOE, 17 City Business Centre, Lower Road, London SE16 2XB). It is most important that we send in as many objections as possible. So please do your best to write as soon as possible.

5 January 2010: Greenwich to be made a Royal Borough, and it is nothing to do with the Olympics! The UK Government has announced plans to mark Her Majesty the Queen's diamond jubilee in 2012: in honour of Her Majesty, there will be a special diamond jubilee weekend, moving the late May bank holiday to Monday 4 June and adding an extra bank holiday on Tuesday 5 June. Furthermore, Her Majesty has graciously agreed "as a mark of royal favour, to confer royal borough status on the London borough of Greenwich. This rare honour is to be bestowed in recognition of the historically close links forged between Greenwich and our royal family from the middle ages to the present day, and of the borough's global significance as the home of the prime meridian, Greenwich mean time and a UNESCO world heritage site." (Ian Lucas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Business and Regulatory Reform), Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, speaking in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee debate in the House of Commons, 5 January 2010.)

Deadline for sending objections to the Planning Application to Greenwich Council extended to 27 January 2010 - but see update, above

Games Lane tunnel criticised. More details here on the BBC web site

On Tuesday 15 December 2009 at 10:30, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee held an evidence session on the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games. Lord Coe, Chairman, and Paul Deighton, Chief Executive, London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and John Armitt, Chairman, and David Higgins, Chief Executive, Olympic Delivery Authority gave evidence.

Slide the timer band to 1 hour 17 mins to see the 7 mins on Greenwich Park

As part of the Committee's on-going scrutiny of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Committee is conducting an inquiry into the preparations for securing a lasting legacy from the 2012 Games. A commitment of a lasting legacy of social, physical and economic regeneration was at the heart of London's bid for the Games and the design of the Olympic Park and the Olympic venues. The Committee is examining: whether the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will deliver a lasting legacy of social, physical and economic regeneration; ways of maximising the value of the Olympic legacy both within the host boroughs, London and across the UK; the use and management of the Olympic Park and venues after 2012; progress towards meeting targets to increase grass roots participation in sport; the aim of leaving a lasting legacy that improves cultural life; and how success in delivering lasting legacy can be measured.

Why Greenwich Park is not a suitable venue for Olympic equestrian events

It is a small urban park and the events will cause damage to the park.
People from across southeast London frequently use the park and many think of it as a lifeline. Holding the Olympic equestrian events in Greenwich will mean park closure.
There will be no physical legacy for the equestrian community in the UK.
Local businesses will suffer because of security sweeps, the clean venue policy and traffic problems.