GREENWICH: 'Worst fears realised' over Greenwich Park Olympic plans (From News Shopper)

GREENWICH: 'Worst fears realised' over Greenwich Park Olympic plans

10:00am Sunday 13th December 2009

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WORK to restore a royal park after it is used for Olympic horse-riding could go on until 2015, according to a planning application.

The controversial application for Greenwich Park by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) was handed in to Greenwich Council on November 30 and its contents made public last week.

In the same week, a 13,200 signature petition against the plans organised by the campaign group NOGOE (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) was given in at the London Assembly.

Under the plans an estimated 195,000 spectators will head to the historic park which will host dressage, cross-country riding, paralympic events and a modern pentathlon.

But protestors have warned of possible damage to the historic park, closures to the public and massively increased congestion.

In September, organisers revealed the park would be closed in 2012 for four weeks from July 6 to August 3 .

But the planning application shows parts of the park will be closed off from April 2012, use of the Blackheath Circus Field as a compound will last until November and restoration of the park’s acid grassland could run on until 2015.

NOGOE claims the use of Circus Field is actually illegal but Olympic organisers have denied this is the case.

The application predicts 6,420 lorry movements during setting up the event and taking it down, with a further 35,960 vehicle movements during the competition itself.

There will also be 2.7m high perimeter fencing and CCTV cameras set up.

Joint coordinator of NOGOE John Hine said: "From the application it appears that many of NOGOE's worst fears about the impact of the event have been realised. We will be strenuously opposing the application."

LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said: “Our planning application shows the lengths we are going to in order to make sure we return the park to The Royal Parks and the local community in the condition in which we will gratefully receive it.”

A decision on the application is expected next March with a planned test event to follow in July 2011.

To view the application visit london2012.com/greenwich-park

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