Have Your Say on the Plans for the Olympics at Dorney Lake

The London 2012 organisations responsible for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Rowing and Canoe Sprint events at Dorney Lake are seeking the views of the public on their proposals prior to submitting planning applications for the works.

Exhibitions will be held as follows:-

• On Thursday 12th August, between 4pm and 6pm at the Royal Windsor Racecourse, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, SL4 5JJ, and
• On Friday 13th August, between 12 noon and 8pm; and Saturday 14th August, between 11am and 3pm at The Finish Tower at Dorney Lake, off Court Lane, Dorney, SL4 6QP.

The proposals will also be online at london2012.com/etondorneyconsultation, and contact may also be made by calling Freephone 0800 198 2012 or by writing to Freepost 2012 Games. The deadline for comments at this stage is 31st August.

This consultation has been planned in order to provide the opportunity for residents and other interested parties to meet officers from the London 2012 organisations involved in delivering the Games. The local authorities have been supporting the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee fort the Olympic Games in preparing to host the Games in 2012, and this consultation is in response to a request to seek the views of the wider community and to consider such views prior to submitting planning applications for the proposals.

Planning permission is required to install the temporary facilities needed to stage the Games at Eton Dorney. Temporary facilities include areas for athletes and officials, temporary seating, and operational and broadcast compounds. Two further planning applications will be submitted: for a temporary spectator bridge linking Windsor Racecourse and Eton Dorney, and for a temporary transport hub at Windsor Racecourse. The purpose of the hub is to provide one pick up and drop off point for spectators travelling to and from the venue, thereby reducing traffic in and out of the venue itself.

Councillor Roger Reed, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Sustainable Development said “Being a host authority for the Olympic Games is an honour. In hosting the events we have a responsibility to work together with the Olympic Delivery Authority to achieve the best possible for both residents and the Olympic family. An essential part of this is being aware of the views of residents and other interested parties, and ensuring that these are taken into account by London 2012 in the planning applications when they are submitted. I would encourage people to comment by 31st August to enable the London 2012 organisations to be able to take account of those comments before submitting the planning applications. However, I would also remind people that once the applications are submitted in the autumn there will also be an opportunity to comment directly to South Bucks and Windsor and Maidenhead Councils on the applications submitted to them”.