Monday, February 27, 2012

Redbridge Olympic Snoozebox

Click here for larger version. 

And here is a report in the Ilford Recorder including a quote from our Secretary.

27 comments:

  1. This was "scooped" at the most recent Coffee Morning.

    Perhaps this development is the source of the rumour that there will be a shuttle-bus service along Forest Road, after TfL had said that there definitely would not be.

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  2. Forgive me, but I am a bit thick today! Is this a serious planning application? Or am I being made the subject of an April Fool joke a few weeks early?

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    1. Yup. It's number 0372/12. More details on the council website Planning Portal.

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    2. Many thanks for this. Here we are a matter of a few weeks away from the Olympics and a planning application is being submitted. Surely Council Officers at least must have known about this for ages and ages - and Councillors, too, I should not wonder. I have no problem with the Olympics - but sticking this metal monster in the midst of Hainault Forest is totally unacceptable. Get real, LBR. Put up a few tents - this is a huge waste of money!

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  3. Well, that should increase the Car Parking revenues ...

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  4. How long have the Council Officers known about this -and why haven't We been told? [And does this not infringe some sort of Green Belt legislation -or is that all meanmingless now under this Government?].

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    1. No, Ray. Certain temporary activity in the green belt is permitted - by all governments.

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  5. Why worry, ladies and gentlemen? It's quite clear that whatever you or I think, whatever we consider to be logical, reasonable or fair these days, we will be trampled on, ignored and treated like the submissive children we've become. The government - ANY government - and local councils will continue to spend untold billions of our money utterly regardless of public opinion or commonsense. It's been going on for so long now that this kind of behaviour has become the norm. Votes nowadays count for very little. Billions ('millions' is such an old-fashionbed word!) of unaffordable taxpayers' money will continue to be rapidly flushed down the toilet, building schemes will be steamrollered into place, M.P.'s will continue to fiddle, bankers will still be paid obscene amounts of cash, and there is absolutely nothing we poor b......s can do about it.
    Live with it!

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  6. Thank you,Morris - that is assuming that this IS Temporary Activity...... I think this Council would see it as: "what can we get away with under a "temporary" banner?" and then say "why don't we keep it? - we have set a precedent".

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  7. NeighbourhoodWatcher6:14 PM, February 29, 2012

    The "precedent" argument is certainly at the heart of objections to the use of Wanstead Flats during the Olympics.

    The development is planned to be in situ for 4 months and this presumably includes the time taken to dismantle and remove from site.

    The movements of shuttle-buses must have an impact on local traffic in New North Road (Hainault Station), Fowler Road Industrial Estate and possibly in Forest Road (Fairlop Station, proposed Forest Farm campsite, usage of Fairlop Waters, access to sports grounds, two Games-Time-Training-Venues).

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  8. What is additionally annoying is that there is no publicity whatsoever in Hainault about the public consultion on the 3rd March, nor at Hainault tube station, which will be having an extra 1000 people arriving eveeryday from the snoozebox site, nor directly to people living on New North Road, which will have up to 90 coach journeys up & down the road every day. Also, this story is being totally ignored at the moment by the Ilford Recorder and the Guardian. (does news only happen within walking distance of the Recorder offices now?)

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    1. It's mushroom culture. Redbridge council does not even begin to understand the concepts of openness and transparency.

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  9. I am quite happy to grant permission,with the proviso, that,the council charge a "bed levy" something that Westminster have investigated for the Olympics, and Edinburgh for the Festival,Snoozebox would have to pay say £10 a night per person levy.As no doubt LOCOG will be
    paying, we will get some of our money back.As this is during the school holidays, Redbridge's fleet of coaches could be used to run a PROFITABLE Shuttle service as well. The proceeds of this unexpected gold could be used to save Glasbury House and abolish Parking
    Charges in Parks and Libraries.

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    1. Redbridge's fleet of coaches could be only used if they are subcontracted to First who, I understand, are responsible for all Olympic transport.

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    2. Just coincidence, I suppose, that TfL's managing director for surface transport was previously a director of First London.

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  10. I think you'll find, Morris, if you check, that First were awarded the Olympic contract some considerable time before Leon Daniels' move to TfL in April 2011.

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    1. Your interpretation, not mine.

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    2. This announcement was published on 15th February 2010 ...

      First lined up for Olympic win

      FirstGroup has been announced as preferred bidder for the provision of direct coaches, park-and-ride services and venue shuttle services for spectators to the London 2012 Olympic games.

      It follows a competitive tender process by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

      First will provide:

      Around 500 coaches and buses for venue shuttle services and venue park-and-ride;

      Around 90 buses and coaches for park-and-ride services, aimed to connect parking sites on the periphery of the M25 with the Olympic Park and Ebbsfleet;

      Around 300 coaches (sub-contracted from fleets up and down the country) to operate a network of express coach services to the Olympic Park and Weymouth and Portland;

      Management of the Direct Coach operations;

      A coach and bus reservations and ticketing system;

      Operational support staff at all coach and bus locations to manage the fleet.

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    3. The more I hear of this expensive ego junket the more angry and bored I become. For how many years will we be paying for it?

      Roll on September.

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    4. I fear the vehicle figures quoted in First's notice, above, may fall a little short of the mark.

      One sub-contractor alone, Stagecoach, has recently received authorisation for two operating centres in the Canning Town/Silvertown area for a combined total of 500 vehicles ...

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  11. There is another Planning Application - ref. 0435/12 - in connection with this site.

    It seems that the accommodation for which planning permission has been applied is primarily for military usage, assuming a high "threat level " at the Olympic Stadium Site and the ExCel.

    Most of the traffic emanating from the proposed site will head south and use the Eastern Avenue. Movements will commence at 0430 and returns should cease at 2200. A number of journeys will be made to Hainault Station and will be at staggered times so as to not increase the volume of peak time traffic along New North Road to and from Hainault Station.

    Fowler Road and Forest Road up to Fairlop Station will only be used as a back-up if an incident or traffic congestion inhibits access to Hainault Station.

    However, we should keep our fingers crossed!!

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  12. Eastern Avenue - nose to tail traffic westbound in the morning peak, and nose to tail traffic eastbound in the evening.

    Hainault and Fairlop Stations - overfilled trains westbound in the morning peak, and Stratford - jam packed trains eastbound in the evening.

    Really makes sense doesn't it?

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  13. I was shocked to find out that there are plans in the pipeline for a 4,200 person Olympic Games 'hotel' in Hainault Forest Country Park during the Olympics which would basically mean that the park would become inaccessible to normal users for the duration of the Games.

    We don't live in Redbridge but use the park on a regular basis. Our neighbour takes his three young sons up to the park, to play around and see the animals. It is an oasis, lovingly maintained and used and loved by many people. If this plan goes ahead we will lose another recreation facility to an event that is now becoming more and more a 'I can't wait till it's over' thing. What about the green Olympics that Coe and co. promised? We, the people of (East) London who finance this are losing out by having our recreation facilities taken away from us during a period of the year when they would be used the most.

    I urge you to reject this application. Anyway, Hainault is quite a distance from Stratford and bussing the occupants of such a 'hotel' to the event would just create more traffic congestion. And that's something we certainly don't need.

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  14. The Ilford Recorder edition of April 26th. has reported Click! that the plans for the Snoozebox have been approved with certain provisos.

    Among these is that personnel travelling to Stratford via the Eastern Avenue will now be transported to Fairlop Station to use the Central Line to Stratford. It had previously been stated that Fairlop Station would only be used as emergency back-up for Hainault Station.

    The movements of shuttle-buses must have an impact on local traffic in New North Road (Hainault Station), Fowler Road Industrial Estate and in Forest Road (Fairlop Station, proposed Forest Farm campsite Click!, usage of Fairlop Waters, access to sports grounds, two Games-Time-Training-Venues).

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  15. Oh to be a 1,000 miles away from it all! Such a pity that Paris was not the chosen venue. Heaven alone knows how long we'll be paying for this junket.

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    1. Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain ...

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