PRESS RELEASE

SPORTSMAN’S ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN & NORTHERN IRELAND OLYMPIC DELIVERY AUTHORITITY (ODA) CRITICISED OVER LACK OF PLANNING OVER WOOLWICH A&E ACCESS DURING 2012 SHOOTING EVENTS

The Sportsman’s Association, which was formed in 1996 to oppose the ban on pistols, today accused the ODA of arrogance after discovering that no consultations or discussions have taken place with relevant authorities about the restricted access to the Woolwich Hospital A&E facilities during the shooting events that will take place during the 2012 Olympics
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the ODA have announced the shooting events will remain at Woolwich, using temporary facilities, thus ignoring the advice of shooting bodies to use the ranges at Bisley in Surrey saving £12m.

“The LOCOG/ODA decision will mean that the main roads to the hospital will be in the danger area and will have to be closed during the shooting events” said Albie Fox, spokesman for the association. “The ODA have failed to reply to my Freedom of Information requests but the London Ambulance Authority have and surprise, surprise they have confirmed that no impact assessments were or have been done” he added.

Mr Fox and other shooting organisations have been raising this matter and other concerns with LOCOG and the ODA through FOI requests but have been ignored. The ODA is determined to keep the shooting events at Woolwich despite the venue being totally unsuitable for the sport, will create lead pollution problems and will waste £42m as the facilities will be totally dismantled leaving no legacy for shooting sports.

“Apart from the waste of taxpayers money I find it incredible that no consultation has taken place with the Woolwich NHS Trust, the London Ambulance Authority and other affected local authorities on how the 2012 shooting events will deny the use of A&E facilities of those living and working in the area” said Albie. “If the restriction means a major delay for critically injured people to get to A&E facilities then lives can be lost and the blame will be laid firmly at the feet of the ODA” he added.

Albie went on “Should eventual discussions by the major stakeholders reveal unacceptable consequences and delay then it may be too late to move the venue as time is running out for alternatives, such as Bisley, to meet build deadlines. I hope that the people of Greenwich will wake up and demand that their elected representatives raise the matter with some urgency”.

Bisley, the home of British shooting, is 30 minutes from London, will be cheaper to modify to Olympic standards, will leave a lasting legacy for shooting sports and will not create any of the above problems.

Contact Albie Fox 07876 443 221

Editor’s Note

Background

FOI requests that have been submitted can be viewed at : http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/albie_fox_2
The FOI to the LAS and reply are below :
Sent: 30 July 2009 14:35

To: FOI Admin

Subject: Freedom of Information request from LAS website

Query :

Dear Sir or Madam,

How long and at what times will the roads adjacent to Woolwich Barracks be closed during the shooting events of the 2012 Olympics and associated rehearsals?

Please state what effect this will have on the access to the A&E unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Woolwich; and how much time will this add to ambulance journeys to other A&E facilities should access to the QE be prevented during the shooting competitions?

Has the local population and taxpayers been informed of these restrictions and any likely delays to A&E access?

Albie Fox

Dear Mr Fox

Thank you for your request for information, placed under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) (FOIA).

I can confirm that no decisions have been made as yet as detailed discussions about the way in which the route network will be managed and its operating regime have not yet commenced. I do however understand that London Borough of Greenwich have scheduled a number of meetings with key stakeholders including the emergency services, when these matters will be discussed and I should like to assure you that we are fully committed to engaging in this process.

I can also confirm that we are commissioning some work to assess the impact of the network and possible road closures on our emergency response times. We have as part of the initial consultation process also made clear our concerns that evidently no impact assessments were undertaken as far as this consideration although we are confident that this matter will be subsequently addressed accordingly.

You may wish to contact the Olympic Delivery Authority Transport

Department – see http://www.london2012.com/index.phpas – as they have the lead for establishing and managing the network as part of the integrated transport plan for the 2012 Games.

I do hope this information will be of assistance.

Yours sincerely

Gary Bassett

Head of Patient Experiences, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust