One year to go until 2012 Olympic Games at Weymouth
by JCPR & WPNSA 28 Jul 2011 16:23 BST
27 July 2012
Weymouth and Portland mark one year to go until 2012 Olympic Games
With exactly one year to go until the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, preparations for the Games are on track and London’s vision to host Olympic and Paralympic Games that inspire the world and acts as a catalyst for lasting change, is set to become reality.
The Games next year will mark the end of a decade-long project, with London winning the bid in 2005 based on a vision to stage Games which would have athletes at its heart, inspire young people to choose sport, showcase iconic London and the UK and be a catalyst for transformation and lasting change. With just 365 days to go, London is on track to deliver on its promises, host spectacular Olympic and Paralympic Games and lay the foundations for significant social, sporting and economic legacies.
Mayor of Portland, Cllr Ian Munro Price and the Deputy Mayor of Weymouth and Portland, Cllr Margaret Leicester put their signatures on the ‘1 Year to Go’ Weymouth and Portland banner that was signed with goodwill messages from over 400 local school children attending a secondary college day at Weymouth College. The banner was hung from Portland Bill lighthouse to mark the 1 year to go countdown until the start of the games.
Statement from John Tweed, Chief Executive, WPNSA
"We now have only 12 months until the Summer of Sport commences next August. It is with great pride that the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy recognises today’s landmark date in the road to the Games. The iconic global sporting event has been the spring board in development of the Sailing Academy, a venue that will provide world leading facilities not only today but for years to come. The unique nature of this Dorset venue is for our international sporting elite as well as for those on our doorstep who are local sporting enthusiasts and those who wish to try the sport for the first time."
Nothe Gardens and Sailing Village granted planning permission
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s Planning Committee this morning granted planning permission for two planning applications submitted earlier this year by the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).
The planning applications determined today were for:
1. The proposed temporary use of the ZeroC housing development on Osprey Quay, Portland as the competitor accommodation for the 2012 Games sailing events and the additional temporary dining and welfare facilities proposed to be housed in the Chesil Cove Federation Primary School development to cater for more than 500 competitors and officials.
2. The proposed installation for the temporary overlay required for a third-party operator to offer a paid for ticketed spectator experience for the duration of the London 2012 Olympic Sailing competition next summer at the Nothe Gardens, Barrack Road, Weymouth.
With the greater certainty on numbers of people offered by a paid for ticketed programme, the third-party LOCOG would contract with to deliver and operate the ticketed site will be best able to manage the flow of people in and out of, and within, the Nothe Gardens for the benefit of residents and visitors to Weymouth and Portland alike. The event is likely to be cost neutral to LOCOG.
Doug Arnot, LOCOG Director of Games Operations said: ‘We are delighted with the outcome of this democratic process and thank the Weymouth and Portland Planning Committee, all the people who made representation, the local community and those who provided feedback on our plans prior to submission of the planning applications.
‘Both the Osprey Quay site and the Nothe Gardens are on loan to the London 2012 Games. We must return the Nothe Gardens to the residents of Weymouth and Portland in the same condition as it was loaned to us in and we will also undertake improvements to the existing pathways and public WCs.
‘We take this responsibility seriously and will continue to work with the local authorities, resident and park user groups and the people of Weymouth and Portland as we move forward with our plans to stage an extraordinary event in 2012 in some of the best small-boat sailing waters in Europe.’
Once the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games are over, the kitchens will be installed in the ZeroC units for the future and long term use of the housing and the Nothe Gardens will be restored to its former use and condition after the Olympic Games have concluded. LOCOG will also upgrade the existing public WCs and footpaths in the Nothe Gardens to ensure that there is a legacy for the Nothe Gardens before as well as after the Sailing events.