HADLEIGH FARM FEEL PART OF IT LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES MOUNTAIN BIKE EVENT. Newsletter March Working in partnership with

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1 HADLEIGH FARM LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES MOUNTAIN BIKE EVENT Newsletter March 2011 Working in partnership with FEEL PART OF IT

2 Since the last update in October there has been good progress at Hadleigh Farm, on the development of the London 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike Venue, despite some challenging weather. Alongside completion of the first phase of works to the venue it has been great to see the local community getting involved and inspired: the carpentry trainees from The Salvation Army Training Centre have completed an information board for the viewing point, Canvey Island Community Choir has achieved an Inspire Mark for their Sing Up project, and an exciting competition to name four features on the site has recently been launched to schools across the county. London 2012 recently announced the testing programme for all their venues, including Hadleigh Farm. On 31 July 2011 around 100 of the world s best mountain bike riders will come to Essex for the Hadleigh Farm International. This will be their opportunity to ride the new Hadleigh Farm Mountain Bike Course. Spectator admission will be available for up to 5000 visitors and tickets will be on sale for the event in May. It has been a busy start to 2011 and I look forward to the coming year as momentum builds towards Councillor Stephen Castle Essex County Council, Cabinet Member for Education and the 2012 Games Works update Both the first phase of works to the course and access improvements are largely complete, although there will continue to be some maintenance and minor development works over the period between spring and summer. The works on Chapel Lane, Castle Lane, Park Chase and Mount Zion will be finalised by the end of April when a surface treatment is laid. The next phase of development will focus on preparation of the site for the temporary marquees and cabins, also continued maintenance and minor development of the Olympic Mountain Bike Course as it settles in. Please note that the Venue and Course continue to be closed to the general public, however a limited number of guided walking tours will be available through April and May. Pre-registration will be essential as numbers will be limited. Details will be advertised in April but to ensure you receive notification please register your contact details through london2012@essex.gov.uk or by calling For more information on the venue please visit Managing Traffic during Events The effective management of the transport operation and traffic in the area will be critical to the success of the events at Hadleigh Farm. London 2012 are working closely with the local authorities and emergency services to achieve this with minimal disruption to residents and business in the local area. The transport plans for the events will (in line with all other London 2012 events) place a strong emphasis on the use of public transport, making extensive use of the Leigh on Sea rail link to London. There will be no parking for spectators at Hadleigh Farm with spectators cars being directed to park and ride sites. However, there is still a need to put in place traffic and parking plans that prevent spectators from parking around venues, keep traffic moving and, most importantly, protect local residents and businesses to enable them to carry on with their day to day lives and activities. A temporary local area traffic management and parking plan will be put in place around the venue. This will include a variety of temporary traffic measures to ensure that Games and local traffic is managed in a coordinated way and parking is properly controlled. Measures could include temporary parking controls in the wider area and additional temporary road closures, parking restrictions, banned turns, one way operations or changes to junctions on the routes and side streets closest to Hadleigh Farm. At present the measures for Hadleigh Farm are still to be finalised but it is very important to highlight that these are being designed to

3 protect residents and businesses from spectators trying to park around the venue. Detail of the measures will be available later this year. The commitment to ensure residents and businesses, also their families, friends and suppliers, have continued access to their properties and are able to park their vehicles remains. Emergency access to all properties will, of course, be maintained at all times. It has also been confirmed that there will be no cost to any resident or business for permits or similar schemes and that the vast majority of measures put in place will be temporary for the Games period only. London 2012 will be contacting you later this year to confirm their plans. To see the draft Transport plans for the venue published in 2010 please visit com/publications/transport-plan-secondedition-consultation-draft-part-2-.php Be Part Of It - Hadleigh Fire Station It has recently been announced that the renovation project to restore the old Fire Station in Hadleigh will be finished ahead of proposed competition dates, allowing the search for a managing tenant to develop and manage the new community space to begin. Preparatory work started on the building at the end of the summer 2010 but only began in earnest once a localised public consultation on its use had taken place, as part of the plans for the wider regeneration of Hadleigh Town Centre, led by Castle Point Regeneration Partnership. The results of the consultation, which closed in October, confirmed a healthy public appetite for a cultural and community facility in the heart of the town centre. The facilities now in development inside the extensive, three-floored property are expected to be used as artists space, for regular classes and courses and as a venue for conferences. It is also anticipated the building will play a vital part in celebrating the town s involvement in hosting the Olympic Mountain Bike events. Applicants have been asked by Essex County Council and Castle Point Borough Council to submit their proposals, outlining not only how they intend to manage the facility, but also how its use could have a direct beneficial impact on the local community and Essex artists. For more information or to register an interest in using the facility, please contact Andrew Ward at andrew.ward@essex.gov.uk Hadleigh Community Legacy Essex Summer of Art In 2009 the art trails of Essex came together under the Essex Summer of Art umbrella to make a fantastic summer of artistic events across the county. Since then local artists have exhibited work in a number of art trails across the county at various venues. A new art trail will be added in Castle Point in October this year. Open Weekend Open Weekend is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad which encourages people to take part in sport, arts and culture. In 2010 there were events at Hadleigh Country Park which included a map reading challenge in Hadleigh Country Park and a living well and archive exhibition with The Salvation Army at its Training Centre and Tea Rooms. This year Open Weekend will be back from July 2011 and ideas are being sought for community events in Castle Point over that weekend. Come and try at Colchester Archery Club Open Weekend 2010 Sing Up Canvey Island In February more than 250 pupils from nine schools on Canvey Island took part in a singing competition inspired by the Olympic Movement. The singing-olympiad was the culmination of a musical project by Essex County Council and Royal Opera House, who had been working in partnership with nine Canvey schools since October 2010 to deliver a range of vocal workshops to the Year 5, 6 and 7 pupils.

4 Alongside this Inspire Marked activity, a community choir has now been established, with a further choir to be developed in Hadleigh at the Old Fire Station later in the year. Canvey Community Choir Following the success of Sing Up the Canvey community choir is now up and running and delivering a varied repertoire ranging from jazz to Gospel. Open to anyone and everyone over the age of 16, the choir continues to look for singers to swell its numbers. The choir meets on Wednesday evenings at Northwick Park Primary School from For more information and to sign up please contact: Sharan Allsopp, Canvey Schools Partnership Coordinator, Walk your Way to the Games Walking your Way to the Games is a series of led walks that are taking place throughout the county. Castle Point, Rochford and Southend have recently teamed up to provide 5 led walks for the community to take part in. Forthcoming walks in the local area are scheduled for 16 March and 20 May. Essex Carrying the Flame Essex Carrying the Flame is a London 2012 education framework set up by Essex County Council to inspire a new generation of children and young people and support a legacy for the 2012 Games in Essex. A number of projects are being delivered to schools through this framework including a county cycling event, health festivals, sportshall athletics and mini games events. Rural Activities Fund Last year parishes and village communities were encouraged to take advantage of the Rural Activities Fund to help with the costs of hosting sporting and physical events that took place over Open Weekend. The fund for 2011 Open Weekend events will be launched on 15 March Great Waltham Cycling Day Open Weekend 2010 Cycling your Way to the Games New for spring and summer 2011 we are looking to develop ride leader training and led rides for Cycling your Way to the Games. If you are interested in become a ride leader please contact the Essex Legacy team for more information. Wenlock visits Powershall School, Get Set competition winners

5 Mini Games Originally developed by Chelmsford Borough Council and based on the Olympics, the Mini Games is a competitive event for children across the county in year 2. It consists of a variety of sports activities with each participating school representing a different country. The Mini Games for Castle Point and Rochford will run on 29 March 2011 at The Deanes School. For more details on all the activities listed above and more, please visit or call Hadleigh Farm after the London 2012 Games Essex County Council and The Salvation Army remain committed to delivering a lasting, beneficial legacy from the London 2012 Mountain Bike Events at Hadleigh Farm. This will involve the development of specific legacy proposals for the area separate to the plans for the Olympic Mountain Bike Venue. Over the last few months Essex County Council has been working with The Salvation Army to establish how a legacy operation could be managed alongside the farming operation. Both are resolute that three key principles are considered in the development of the legacy proposals: 1. Protection of Green Space 2. Assorted users 3. Mountain Biking Legacy 1. Protection of green space First and foremost there is a clear commitment that any developments at Hadleigh Farm will respect the environmental and historical importance of the site. The Salvation Army remains committed to maintaining its farming operation in this area. Additionally, both The Salvation Army and Essex County Council are committed to ensuring their joint proposals protect this unique part of South Essex, whilst providing the local community with plentiful opportunity to enjoy relaxing, living and working in its vicinity. 2. Assorted users Using the feedback received during early consultations on the Olympic Mountain Bike Venue, it is clear that the wider area (particularly Hadleigh Country Park) is used for a wide range of recreational purposes - all of which need to be thoroughly considered as legacy proposals are developed. No specific projects have been identified as yet, however the following themes are to be explored as improvements to the area are considered, covering both the area being used for the Olympic Mountain Bike Events and Hadleigh Country Park: Walking Cycling Horse Riding Running Engagement with Nature Engagement with History Visitor Facilities and Parking Signage and Way Finding 3. A Mountain Biking Legacy As was strongly supported throughout the consultation process, Essex County Council remains committed to retaining the course developed for the London 2012 Games by adapting it to make it suitable for public use. (The existing course at Hadleigh Farm is not currently open for general public use as it has been designed for use under event conditions and is not safe for public access). The next stage of defining the detail of the Mountain Bike Legacy is to establish which groups would use the facility in the future and how that will be managed. The next stage Initial feedback is welcomed on the above themes. Additionally a short questionnaire will be available to download during April at and will also be posted or ed to all those who have registered to receive the Hadleigh Farm Newsletter. Please ensure you have registered your details through london2012@essexlegacy.gov.uk or by calling

6 Key Dates Dates for all the events to be held at Hadleigh Farm are given below: 31 July 2011 LOCOG Test Event: Hadleigh Farm International London 2012 Olympic Games 11 August 2012 Women s Cross Country: race and victory ceremony 12 August 2012 Men s Cross Country: race and victory ceremony All events at Hadleigh Farm will be ticket access only. Tickets must be purchased in advance. More information can be found at Tickets will not be available for sale on event days. This newsletter is issued by Essex County Council, 2012 Legacy and Strategic Sport. You can contact us in the following ways: By Telephone: By Post: Essex County Council, 2012 Legacy and Strategic Sport County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1QH By london2012@essex.gov.uk Further information: The information contained in this leaflet can be translated, and/or made available in alternative formats, on request Published March 2011 DS