LOCOG consulting on planning application for Olympics media transport hub in Bloomsbury

LOCOG consulting on media transport hub in Bloomsbury, needs Camden planning consent, see their email to councillors below.

London 2012 – Media Transport Hub, Russell Square

There are now less than two years to go to the start of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the Games Camden’s local economy will benefit as it will be the home of the international non-broadcast media, with its hotels and student housing accommodating approximately 5,600 of the world’s press.

Bloomsbury was selected as one of the locations for the media because of the concentration of high quality accommodation facilities available and its many surrounding cultural attractions. The central London location makes it highly commutable to all of the Olympic venues across London and the UK.

As part of our plans for the Games, London 2012 is seeking planning consent to locate a media transport hub in Bloomsbury on Russell Square which will connect the media to the Olympic venues. Many of the hotels that they will be staying in are walking distance from Russell Square, and once there they will board shuttle bus services to travel to the Olympic venues.

The facilities and structures that will be required to operate the transport hub will include fences, signage, canopies and tents. The hub will operate during the Olympic Games only. After the Olympic Games, all of the temporary structures and facilities will be removed.

In November we will undergo a period of pre-application consultation with the local community, stakeholders and businesses to discuss the proposals for using Russell Square for the media transport hub and to encourage feedback which will help us to shape our plans before we submit our planning application to the London Borough of Camden.

As part of this consultation activity, we will be hosting London 2012 drop-in sessions at De Morgan House, 58 Russell Square, London, WC1B 4HS on the following dates:

o Thursday 11 November, 4-8pm
o Friday 12 November, 12-4pm
o Saturday 13 November, 11am-3pm

Some of the roads in Bloomsbury, and some to the north and south of the area, will be part of the Olympic Route Network. This is a London-wide network of existing roads that the media, athletes and officials can use so that they can get to events on time, while also keeping London moving.

To facilitate the smooth traffic flow in the area, there will also be some temporary changes to the way in which the roads in and around Russell Square currently operate. Details of the proposed changes will be available at the drop-in session for comment.

Alternatively, should you require any further information, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us directly by the following means:

Email: Government.Relations@london2012.com
Phone: 0203 2012 076
Mail: Government Relations, LOCOG, 23rd Floor, 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5LN
Online: london2012.com/bloomsburyconsultation (website live from 29.10.10)

We will be sending out a letter to local residents and businesses about our plans with an invitation to our consultation sessions.