London Update -- London 2012 Organizers Defend Historic Park Venue, Higher Security Costs

NOGOE wantsorganizers to find an alternate venue for 2012 equestrian events, claiming that the historic trees and gardens in Greenwich Park will suffer. (Greenwich Park)London Olympic officials were forced Thursday to defend the use of an historic park to stage 2012 equestrian events at a packed public meeting.

Local residents protesting against the use of Greenwich Park in south east London claim the planned four-mile equestrian cross country course will cause serious damage to the fabric of the park, including 350-year-old trees believed to be the oldest in the British capital.

“It is unbelievable to me that you could not find an alternative site. The only legacy that you will have for Greenwich Park is a bill for repairs,” an official from the grassroots protest organization No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events (NOGOE)told London 2012 officials at the meeting.

Plans for the course unveiled in October show it cutting through the park’s historic flower garden and crisscrossing an avenue of sweet chestnut trees planted in the reign of Charles II.

But London 2012 chief executive Paul Deighton insisted the park would not suffer long term. LOCOG has pledged that no trees, not just ancient ones, will be cut down to design the course, although some may be trimmed. Planning applications are due to be lodged at the end of next year.

“We are making provision so that the park is restored to how it was in the first place,” said Deighton. “It is a crucial part of our job to make sure that we get good value for money.

“Our attitude is to be precisely that in this extraordinarily complex project.”

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe claimed that holding equestrian events in the park would introduce the sport to local young people who otherwise have little contact with horse riding.

“We have the opportunity to put this (equestrianism) center stage,” he said. “We have the opportunity to allow young people who have probably never ever recognized that equestrianism may be for them and to put it in their backyard and not 100,000 miles away as it was in Beijing.

“We have promised a compact Games. Compact means that your young local people will experience seeing it for themselves.”

But residents among the 500-strong crowd also raised concerns about traffic congestion and inadequate public transport in the area and the closure of the park in the build-up to the Games.

Greenwich, one of London 2012’s five “host boroughs," will provide venues for nine sports during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As well as the equestrian events, Greenwich Park will host part of the modern pentathlon, while the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich will stage shooting events.

Greenwich council leader Chris Roberts insisted the local authority would protect the local sites. “We will do nothing or assent to nothing that will damage our venue, our Army barracks or heritage sites,” he said.

Badminton, Denis Oswald, chair of the IOC's coordination commission for London 2012, says events like the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India could result in higher security costs for the London Games. (Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)basketball, gymnastics, trampolining and Paralympic volleyball will also be held in Greenwich, at the O2 Arena.

Security Costs Rocketing for 2012 Olympics

Denis Oswald, chair of the IOC's coordination commission for London 2012, expects the security budget for the Games to be “the biggest spend on security in Olympic history.”

Security costs increased last December when a $348 million contingency fund was added to the $876 million already allocated for the Olympics.

Describing it as a “difficult budget” to manage, he told Britain’s Telegraph newspaper that security costs were “rocketing” compared to previous Games. He said Athens spent $1.1 billion and brought in support from different countries.

Citing the ongoing terrorism threat following the attacks in India, he said: “Nobody knows how much it will cost London in the end, because it all depends on the situation: a few attacks like the one in Mumbai, especially if they are closer to this country, and they will have to reinforce security again.”

Tarique Ghaffur, the former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner, has yet to be replaced as the man responsible for Olympic security planning. He left the project after settling a claim against the police force.

But Oswald remains confident Britain is capable of dealing with the terror threat in the build-up to 2012 and staging a safe Games. “Experience plays quite a big role, and with the situation in Ireland, the U.K. has been dealing with terrorism and threats for quite a number of years,” he said.

Olympic Park Construction Outpacing Expectations

The Olympic Park work force has officially broken 3,000 as the ‘big build’ of venues and infrastructure for London 2012 moves up a gear. Over 60 percent of Olympic Park construction workers are British citizens. (London 2012)New figures released Friday by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) also reveal that over half of the 3,046-strong work force on the east London site are from London; 63 percent are British citizens.

ODA chief executive David Higgins said his organization, which is charged with developing venues and infrastructure for the Games, was on track to complete foundation work on a series of projects next summer as construction accelerates on the site.

The 80,000-seat Olympic stadium and aquatics center are rising from the ground ahead of schedule, piling work is complete on the first three blocks of the Olympic village and work is under way on vital infrastructure across the park, the ODA said. Work on the foundations of the velopark and IBC/MPC start next spring as well as development of the Games and legacy parklands.

At the peak of construction on the Olympic Park in 2009/2010, the work force will rise to 9,000 people.

With reporting from Matthew Brown in London.

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