Monday, April 02, 2007

After 100 years of history, today's the day that the Manor Garden Allotments at the heart of the 2012 Olympic site are finally closed. Or at least that was the plan. The London Development Agency wanted everybody (and their vegetables) off the land today so that the site could be levelled and transformed into the central concrete walkway down the spine of the Olympic Park. But, what do you know, the allotments have had a reprieve. Until July. It's only another three months, but that's better than bulldozing several acres of fledgling potatoes and carrots before they've even had a chance to grow.

EXPERTS are being urged to apply for membership of a new, independent panel aimed at ensuring the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Specialists with experience of a major construction project or public event, and with social, environmental, and economic backgrounds are needed to form the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012.

The NAO report concludes:

Our overall conclusion is that the key relationships and working arrangements to deliver the Olympic programme are still being developed. There are a number of areas of risk that will need to be managed but a major risk is the lack of final agreed cost estimates and an accompanying funding package, and this will inevitably have a detrimental impact on the programme if it is allowed to continue.

Two of Canada's top winter Olympians are joining environmentalist David Suzuki to fight global warming.

Skier Thomas Grandi and his wife cross-country skier Sara Renner were in Calgary Friday telling reporters they've personally witnessed the impact of climate change in the mountains where they ski.

The Thames estuary is one of the UK's most important wildlife habitats, with 200,000 birds visiting every year, four EU-designated special protected areas and 40 sites of special scientific interest.

…the way of life for migratory birds gets tougher with each passing year. Now I hear, to my horror, that the football World Cup of 2010 is going to play havoc with our swallows. True, the World Cup will be held in South Africa, but that’s just commuting distance for a swallow.

E-mail from Julie Sumner of Manor Gardens Allotments to Jenny Jones of the GLA Mon, 6 Nov 2006

London's Olympics and CrossRail development projects could offer a unique opportunity to develop the city's canal network sufficient to transport millions of tonnes of waste each year.

Bleak future prospects at Manor Gardens

Manor Gardens AllotmentsManor Gardens, bequeathed to be allotments 'in perpetuity' by their original owner the 'Right Hon' Major Villiers, sit in the North central section of the Olympic Park. The LDA plan to remove them to make a footpath to the stadia, destroying in the process a century of devoted cultivation and a close-knit community rooted in this irreplaceable site.