Essex County council lifts lid on plans for 2012 event (From Echo)

Essex County council lifts lid on plans for 2012 event

8:30am Friday 3rd September 2010 in

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Hadleigh’S old fire station will serve as Essex’s Olympic HQ when the 2012 mountain biking competition comes to town, officials have revealed.

They have also announced London Travelcard holders will be able to come to Leigh railway station for no extra charge for the duration of the event.

The latest details of the two-day event, on August 11 and August 12, 2012, were confirmed yesterday by Stephen Castle, county councillor responsible for Olympic matters.

He told members of the South Essex Area Forum the county council was now stepping up a gear in its preparations for the event.

Mr Castle said: “We are now moving from a period of planning for the Olympics to a period of delivering the Olympics.

“We are very clear this global mega event on our doorstep, at the end of the worst recession in most of our living memories, is a great opportunity.

“For two days, Leigh will be included in Zone 6, which normally ends at Upminster, because Travelcards will be given out with tickets.”

Work has already started on building the course in Hadleigh Castle Country Park and neighbouring land owned by the Salvation Army.

The area is currently closed to the public, but Mr Castle said he hoped a public viewing area would soon be set up, so residents could see what was being done.

Earlier this year, Castle Point Regeneration Partnership – a group which includes businesess, the Government, charities and both borough and county councils – bought the former fire station in Hadleigh town centre.

Mr Castle said: “The idea is it will be the Game Time headquarters and house tourism, information and press facilities.”

The fire station will also provide a performance space and a centre for business engagement in the run-up to the Games.

Mr Castle stressed Essex had a wider stake in the Olympics than merely the mountain biking events in Hadleigh.

Along with their counterparts in Hertfordshire and London, Essex council taxpayers are contributing to the cost of the Lee Valley Park, which is part of the Olympic Park in East London.

The councils are helping fund the White Water Centre, the Velo Park and the hockey and tennis centres – are being built.

Mr Castle said: “Essex residents own a 20 per cent stake in the Olympic park.”