Olympic Games cycling track change a ‘hollow’ win
Amateur cyclists in Hackney have hailed as a “hollow victory” the latest twist in their battle with Olympic chiefs over plans for a new cycling track at the 2012 Park.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company ditched its revised plan for the mile-long high-speed track this week but submitted another alternative which restores the river crossing into Hackney.
The original consented plan saw the fenced off circuit cross the River Lea over new bridges into parkland in Hackney.
But the OLPC submitted revised plans in March, squeezing the circuit on the north side of the river close to the velodrome.
Hackney Council supported the scheme, which it said would create better quality parkland with unrestricted access to the river, while Sport England and British Cycling opposed it.
You may also want to watch:
Last week the OPLC announced it had withdrawn its application and agreed a compromise with British Cycling, Sport England and the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, who will own and operate the VeloPark after the Games. “The agreement on the new plan is a significant milestone in the development of the Park,” a joint statement said.
The outline commitment sees the track cross the river, but the consented scheme has been amended to create a new area of open space and accessible riverside.
Most Read
- 1 Hackney surgery named GP Team of the Year
- 2 Man wrestled to floor during attempted robbery in Finsbury Park
- 3 Campaigners launch legal challenge against Hackney LTNs
- 4 Covid fines worth £39K handed out in Hackney and Tower Hamlets
- 5 Hackney ‘poised’ to undertake school closures after drop in pupil numbers
- 6 Stoke Newington School looks to raise £60K for student laptops
- 7 Jailed: 'Dangerous' Hackney predator found with 1,600 indecent child images
- 8 Old Street roundabout project moves into final phase
- 9 Hackney postal voters urged to reapply after cyber-attack
However, Michael Humphreys, chairman of the Eastway Users Group Cycle Group, said: “We had an agreement which was acceptable and gained consent, so for the OPLC to come along and propose another scheme and then to drop it is a hollow victory.”
A new planning application has now been submitted to the ODA Planning Decisions Team.
