Wednesday 26 December 2012

Greenwich Park 'ruined' by London 2012 equestrian events, campaigners claim - Telegraph.co.uk

Sev D'Souza, of No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrianism (Nogoe), which fought a long-running campaign against Greenwich Park being used as a Games venue, said: "This is the only green space within walking distance for many thousands of people and the most popular, accessible part of the park will have been out of bounds for more than a year.

"We were promised by Locog that it would be back to normal as soon as was possible, but then they employed hardly any people to work on site so the work has not been completed.

"What we're left with is a mess."

Mr D'Souza said another public space used for the Games, Circus Field in Blackheath, had lost an area of acid grassland where wild flowers including hare bells normally grow.

Locog has promised to restore the acid grasses but at the moment it looks more like a battlefield.

Mr D'Souza said: "It's our belief that the eco-system of Greenwich Park and Circus Field will never be the same again."

Greenwich Park, with its backdrop of the National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory, saw some of the most memorable moments of the Games, including gold medals for 54-year-old Nick Skelton and his team-mates in the showjumping and for Charlotte Dujardin in the dressage.

But staging the event there is reported to have cost £120 million, with no "legacy" venue to show for it.

Around a quarter of the park, or 45 acres, remains closed to the public, according to The Royal Parks, which administers the land.

The Royal Parks said it was carrying out a "flexible" plan to reinstate Greenwich Park "to its pre-Games condition or better".

A spokesman for The Royal Parks said: "The reinstatement is on schedule and we explained the timetable to the local residents far in advance of the Games.

"We have tried to open as much of the park as quickly as possible but it's really important the work is done properly and the ground is given as long as possible to recover."

Hyde Park, which was used for the triathlon and 10km swim, has wood chip covering a large area of grass that is due to be reseeded in the spring, while St James's Park, which was heavily used by people watching the marathons and cycling events in The Mall, has been returfed though the areas will be cordoned off until the spring to allow the grass to take root.

A spokesman for Locog said: "Locog handed back the venue last month. We believe the condition of Greenwich Park will continue to improve. It will flourish by next spring at the end of a full growing season.

"We did have bad weather at the end of the Paralympic Games which cost us a bit of time. The re-instatement programme has been agreed with The Royal Parks and is being implemented by them, and we have abided by all our planning conditions working with English Heritage and Natural England. The acid grassland is already in a better condition."

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