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Work on the bowl of the Olympic stadium goes on
A Royal park could be created on the site of the London Olympics to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
The proposed Queen Elizabeth Park would be the first with royal status in east London. It is being proposed by the borough of Newham.
The council will present its plans for 100 hectares of parkland in the Lower Lea Valley to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which funds and is responsible for the capital's eight royal parks.
Newham says its idea would bring extra prestige to the Olympic Park and help attract tourists and investors to the area after the Games. The royal family's East End connections, from the Queen Mother's visits during the Blitz to the role of Royal Docks, will be highlighted as part of the proposal.
Royal status would come with an expert team of gardeners contracted to the Royal Parks Agency, which manages the spaces with an annual government grant of about £10 million.
Newham faces a battle with ministers to win approval for the scheme, as creating a park would require legislation.
The London Mayor will be responsible for the parkland after the Games, but the cost of maintaining the site would shift to the Government if the request were granted. Newham has calculated that the park would cost up to £3 million a year to manage.
The mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The spotlight of the world is on us. Let's think ambitiously. A new royal park would be a fitting legacy of the Games.”
London's eight royal parks — Bushy Park, Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent's Park, Richmond Park and St James's Park — were created by the 1851 Crown Lands Act which transferred the spaces then owned by Queen Victoria to public ownership. A DCMS spokesman said: “The royal parks were created in the 19th century by new legislation. There are no plans to amend that or introduce new legislation.”
Mr Johnson appointed Baroness Ford to determine the Olympic Park's legacy. As chairwoman of the Olympic Park legacy company, her responsibilities include securing the future use of parkland and the sports venues, such as the aquatics centre.
Uncertainty surrounds the future use of up to two thirds of green spaces in the Olympic Park, although it has been designated for unspecified commercial and residential development.
Reader views (5)
Tasha: the Crown Estate Business Plan details the amount of direct revenue that it pays for Royal Parks maintenance.
These figures are also set out very precisely in an Appendix to the official Buckingham Palace Business Plan - the one which MPs lamented in July that they had not been allowed to see the original of.
The Royal Parks Agency additionally raises funds via various projects but is entirely autonymous of the DCMS.
Residents of properties immediately abutting Regents Park pay an upkeep charge via council tax. Previously, eg between 1993 and 1999, additional ad hoc payments were made by such residents to the Royal Parks Agency for extraordinary repairs/maintenance and special projects such as arboriculture, new landscaping etc. Having lived there for over 30 years the residents association involvement in such matters speaks for itself.
- Diane Robards, London
Erm I am not sure where Diane Robards gets her information from but I'm afraid she is entirely incorrect; The Royal Parks are part self funding (catering etc) but majority funding comes direct from DCMS. Please try and get facts right when posting; there are absolutely no charges for local residents!
- Tasha, London
What about caring for the Royal Parks we already possess eg Greenwich. What about not damaging trees, plants etc to put a short-lived equestrian event there?
There's no point in creating a new Royal Park when the organisers of the Olympic Games do not value what this country already possesses.
PS Perhaps the Olympic Delivery Authority would like to donate some of their bonuses so that a new site for the equestrian events can be found. After all, if the "accounting argument" is going to be used to justify the use of Greenwich, then those at the cutting edge of delivery should be contributing where they can.
- Sally Wainman, Suffolk England
How abouts we take the millions that will go for this park and spend them instead on water and sewer main replacement, electrical grid upgrades, bridge repairs, deferred facilities maintenance, you know, important stuff.
How abouts we all agree to maintain and keep in good repair alls that we already got and not build anymore pretty places for awhile??
- Trunk, US
Re your statement 'an annual government grant of about £10 million'. This is inaccurate.
Royal Parks Agency is not funded by direct taxation nor by any government grant.
Upkeep finance of the Royal Parks is derived directly from annual disbursements from Crown Estate profits/surplus. The tax paid to the Treasury by the Crown Estate also pays for the upkeep of government-used buildings eg Marlborough House, headquarters of the Commonwealth Institute.
In addition residents living immediately adjoining Royal Park sites such as Regents Park pay an annual charge for its upkeep.
- Diane Robards, London
