Legacy proposals get go-ahead for 2012 Olympic mountain bike venue

The public will get the opportunity to try the Olympic mountain bike course in Essex once the London 2012 Games are over following Castle Point Borough Council’s approval of legacy proposals. Wessex Archaeology's Heritage Team on behalf of Essex County Council provided a Cultural Heritage Environmental Statement as part of a wider planning application which was informed by a detailed historic landscape assessment and historic building survey. The assessment considered various scheduled monuments, ranging from a prehistoric settlement, medieval castle and World War II gun battery, and listed buildings around the venue area.

In addition to retaining and adapting the Olympic mountain bike course at Hadleigh Farm for public use, the plans will also deliver access and environmental improvements for the adjacent Hadleigh Country Park. These include creation of multi-use recreation trails, a new visitor centre and business units, as well as grassland habitat restoration and new heritage interpretation.