What’s actually happening in Greenwich Park in 2012?

Greenwich Park, the National Maritime Museum, the Old Royal Naval College and Circus Field will host the Olympic Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon Events in July and August 2012, and the Paralympic Dressage competitions in September 2012.

What does this involve?

Equestrian consists of Dressage, Eventing and Jumping.

Dressage takes place over four days in the temporary Arena. There will be 50 competitors in team and individual events.

Eventing takes place over four days and consists of Dressage (Arena), Jumping (Arena) and Cross-Country. The Cross-Country section takes place on a single day. There are team and individual events for 75 competitors.

Jumping takes place in the Arena over four days. There are team and individual events involving 75 riders.

In Modern Pentathlon 36 athletes compete in five disciplines – Fencing, Swimming, Riding and a combined Run/Shoot event – in a single day. Men compete on one day, women on a second. The Riding section involves completing a Jumping course in the Arena. The combined Run/Shoot event also takes place in the Arena with the running course extending a short way into the Park near the Arena.

Paralympic Dressage takes place over five days in the Arena. At the Paralympic Games, athletes compete in two Dressage tests: a Championship Test, made up of set movements, and a Freestyle Test, for which athletes choose their own movements and music. There is also a team event, for three to four athletes per team. Through the tests, horse and rider must be in harmony, and the overall picture must be of lightness and rhythm.

Why is Greenwich Park being used as a venue?

We believe that Greenwich Park will be a stunning venue for the Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon events in 2012. The Park was chosen for a number of key reasons including its close proximity to the Olympic Village. Using the Park avoids the need to build a new permanent arena. All structures being used in Greenwich Park are temporary and will be removed once the Games end.

Certain areas will remain closed between approximately 29 August and 9 September 2012 for the Paralympic Games

When will the Park close to the public?

The Park will remain open for as long as possible, and the majority of the Park will remain open until July 2012. Work is likely to begin on the temporary Arena in the north of the Park in April 2012. From this date onwards some parts of the Park will remain closed but we don’t envisage closing the Park completely until July 2012.

The Children's Playground and much of the Flower Garden will remain open throughout, apart from the one day that the Cross Country event will take place.

How long will the Park remain closed?

We have listened to people's concerns and have reduced the amount of time the Park will be fully closed from six to four weeks, from approximately 6 July to 3 August 2012. Our intention is to re-open sections of the Park as soon as possible following completion of the Eventing competition.

Will you be closing the Park before 2012?

Total closure of the Park will only be for four weeks, approximately from 6 July to 3 August 201 and in between 20 June and 11 July for the Olympic test events. Between now and the Games small sections of the Park will be cordoned off to allow ground improvement works to take place. Much of this is similar to the activity that routinely takes place already as part of The Royal Parks' ground maintenance programme, such as mowing and aerating.

It will have little impact on visitors to the Park who will still be able to access all areas freely, except for a narrow strip of ground in certain places.

Why did you hold a test event in July this year?

We held a smaller scale Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon test event in July 2011 to test our operational readiness and ensure everything was working properly well in advance of the Games and to make any adjustments necessary. LOCOG has an ongoing programme of test events to test all its venues before the Games next year.

As outlined in our planning application, there was some scheduled cordoning off in the North area of the Park for the test event in the summer of 2011, but this was re-opened straight afterwards, and in some areas earlier than scheduled . The test event was hosted outside of the school holidays to reduce the impact on the local community.

The event was well received by the local community, and LOCOG donated an allocation of over 3000 tickets to Greenwich Council so that young people from the borough were able to come and watch the action.

LOCOG is now working closely with the Royal Parks to reinstate the Park and is funding this programme of reinstatement which is being supervised by the Royal Parks. The same will apply to 2012.

For more information Download the 'London Prepares Series - Greenwich Park' brochure (pdf, 4MB)

What are the dates for other test events happening in the borough of Greenwich?

Gymnastics, Olympic Qualifiers - 10-18 January 2012, North Greenwich Arena

Shooting, ISSF World Cup - 18-29 April 2012, Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich

For more information on test events:

Visit the Greenwich Park Eventing International site

Visit the Modern Pentathlon UIPM World Cup Final site

How long will it take to restore the Park after the Games?

All of the structures we would be putting in for the Games are temporary and would be removed afterwards. . We are working closely with the Royal Parks on the detail of the reinstatement programme which LOCOG will fund. Alongside this programme we are working with The Royal Parks to make improvements to the condition of the Park.

Following the Games, The Royal Parks will implement a substantial three-year Acid Grassland Restoration Programme to improve the extent of high quality grassland within the Park to leave a lasting legacy. This activity would be funded by LOCOG

How will you ensure that you won't damage the Park?

Greenwich Council, local planning authority, has established an advisory group comprising The Royal Parks, Natural England, English Heritage and Sport England.

We take our responsibilities very seriously and our planning application shows the detailed work we have carried out on all aspects of our plans for Greenwich Park. We will make sure that we reinstate the Park to its previous condition, and we have fully involved The Royal Parks and English Heritage in the development of all studies and plans.

The potential impacts of our plans have been thoroughly assessed as part of our Environmental Impact Assessment within our Planning Application. This assessment has concluded that it would be possible to do this without creating long-term damage to the Park.

The Royal Parks is responsible for management of the Park and maintaining the biodiversity of the Park. They will continue to monitor and manage our activity in the Park to ensure there is no long-term damage

What work are you doing on trees in the Park?

The route of the Cross-country course that we are marking out is exactly as permitted through the planning process and the route has been available on the Greenwich Council and LOCOG websites for several months. Any trees to be pruned have long been identified and this information has been made available.

The course and its treatment programmes have been designed and developed with the full input of a well respected arboricultural consultant. The two groups of trees referenced will not be removed or damaged as part of the course preparations. Maintenance staff have been extensively trained in the sensitivities of the Park and their movements will be closely controlled. Operations in the most popular areas of the park (i.e. picnic areas) are to be irrigated and mown outside of the busiest periods thus reducing disturbance to Park users.

These works have been approved by the local planning authority, who granted planning permission subject to a number of planning conditions. LOCOG has now discharged the relevant conditions relating to these works which have also been agreed with four statutory consultees – The Royal Parks, English Heritage, Natural England and Sport England.

What about the possible damage to tree roots?

Arboricultural experts have worked with us to ensure the Cross Country course will not adversely affect any trees. We will continue to work with them, as well as with The Royal Parks, English Heritage and Natural England, to ensure any necessary protective measures are in place to protect trees and root areas while developing the course, and from any impact that might be caused by spectators.

As we have always maintained, no trees will be removed from the Park.

Some minor tree pruning will be undertaken on a case by case basis, with input from an arborculturalist accustomed to working in historic landscapes and under the direction of The Royal Parks. Minor pruning of this nature takes place routinely as part of the Royal Parks' normal maintainance programmes.

Why can't the Equestrian Events take place at existing venues?

London is committed to a 'compact Games' with most venues within or near to the Olympic Park in Stratford. Greenwich Park's suitability to host the Equestrian Events and the riding, shooting and running elements of the Modern Pentathlon significantly reduces costs. If the Equestrian Events were located outside of London another London venue would have to be found to host the Modern Pentathlon as all the disciplines have to be completed in one day, and additional accomodation for athletes would have to be provided.

Why can’t the Equestrian events take place at existing venues like Badminton and Burghley?

They can’t be held at these venues for a couple of reasons. First, although both Badminton and Burghley host magnificent events these are temporary and so not equipped to hold Olympic events at their venues. And second it would vastly increase costs as a second satellite Olympic Village would have to be built.

Does the Metropolitan Commons Act 1866 prevent you from applying for permission to use Circus Field?

No. Permission to use Circus Field is a seperate issue to the Planning Permission being sought from Greenwich Council

We will be seeking the necessary consent for the use of the land in due course

What will be the legacy for Greenwich?

Legacy isn't just about creating new buildings. The legacy of hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events in Greenwich Park will be to increase the global profile of the Borough, inspiration for its residents, and to bring sport to a new audience across the Borough and London .

The Children's Playground in the Park will be upgraded and the local community will also benefit from new sports facilities and initiatives including a riding project. The British Equestrian Federation HOOF project which is designed to introduce riding in the Capital and a new urban audience, has applied for planning permission with Greenwich Council and Hadlow College for a new riding facility in Greenwich at Shooters Hill. This will not only introduce thousands of London children to horse riding, but also to provide educational and training opportunities for years to come - leaving sporting, community and education legacy which will benefit Greenwich for years to come

The Borough of Greenwich has already benefitted from an £80 million investment in the Docklands Light Railway to extend the line to Woolwich and increase carriage provision by 55 carriages, allowing three-carriage services between Lewisham and Bank, an upgrade of Greenwich Pier, funded by London 2012. Greenwich Council has so far earmarked £17.5 million to develop initiatives leaving long-term benefits from the Games.

LOCOG has also been pleased to make a contribute to the funding of the restoration of the Henry Moore Statue “The Knife Edge” to bring it back to Greenwich Park.

How do I find out more about the proposals for Greenwich Park?

You can view the detailed Greenwich Park planning application on all aspects of our plans. It covers: a Temporary Arena for up to 23,000 seats, a Cross-Country course, spectator facilities, stabling, utilities, use of existing facilities and managed road crossings

LOCOG will be submitting a further package relating to the discharge of its planning conditions by the end of October 2011. When this documentation is available it will be posted on this website.

What works are happening at the moment?

We are improving the condition of the grass in the Park for the route of the cross country course. The means reducing the hardness of the ground, improving the quality of the grass and making sure it is sufficiently watered. This work is being carried out by LOCOG’s sub contractors, in partnership with The Royal Parks. The work is being carried out by highly skilled and experienced staff. The work is completely safe and we believe will not cause you disruption. Works will include: Irrigation – Water will be applied to the course from time to time to help the grass to grow and to develop stronger root systems; De-compaction – Over many years of use the ground in the park has become closely packed together. We will use machinery that will reduce this, which in turn will improve the quality of the grass by allowing roots to develop and strengthen; Mowing – Using specialist mowers similar to those used on golf courses, regular mowing will encourage a thicker, stronger sward of grass; Other works will include the filling of minor and localised hollows in the ground using topsoil and turf, the removal of stones from certain areas of the cross country course, fertilisation of the ground and some re-seeding of areas where grass cover is poor. The work is very similar to that which is carried out by The Royal Parks and their contractors on a regular basis around the Greenwich Park throughout the year such as mowing, slitting of the ground to aerate the soil, and watering of trees, flowers and other areas using tractors and bowsers.

Where are works happening?

All of the works will be around the route of the Cross-country course.

How long will the works go on?

Ground improvement work is ongoing up to the Olympic Games in July 2012. Some minor works will continue beyond this to ensure we reinstate the Park to its previous condition and to improve the quality of some of the areas of acid grassland within the park.

Timetable of works:

The works will be ongoing as is currently the case with many standard practices around the park such as mowing. Regularity will vary depending on weather and ground conditions.

Are you using the wetting agent "Revolution" at Greenwich Park?

As part of the continuing grass management plan the ground contractors will start using the soil wetting agent Revolution in March 2011. This is used to encourage the growth of grass by improving the distribution and availability of water in the soil.

April 2012: Work begins on temporary structures such as the Arena

May / June: Phased closures to areas of the Park

Early July: Closure of the majority of the Park to make final arrangements

27 July - 12 August: The London 2012 Olympic Games

28 - 31 July: Equestrian Eventing (Cross Country Day on 30 July)

1 Aug: Cross country jumps start to be dismantled and removed

2 - 9 Aug: Equestrian Dressage

4 - Aug: Equestrian Jumping

11 - 12 Aug: Modern Pentathlon

29 Aug - 9 Sept: The London 2012 Paralympic Games

30 Aug - 4 Sept Paralympic Dressage

Sept / Oct: All structures in the Park removed. Restoration work begins.