The Olympic Delivery Authority, Waltham Forest Council, Lea Valley Regional Park Authority and Nussli AG put the building site workers and community at risk to save face.

If there is a will there is a way. That’s the story of the Marsh. The community has been betrayed; the environment, workforce on the building site and Marsh users put at risk. All this to save face from as the Judge in the recent court action put it “fear of embarrassment.” Prizing the perception of the various players involved above integrity and truth. That’s the bigger story to this local community struggle that has reached international eyes and ears. Threats of litigation, arrests, unverified unaccountable conclusions, contradictions, an ODA solicitor posing as press, financial bullying, the breaking of contractual obligations, military surveillance and the list goes on

The trust of the local community surrounding Leyton Marsh has been broken. It has taken three and a half months for the news of the lead and asbestos contaminated soil to break into the national media. This is in spite of reports in the various players documentation and in spite of the local campaign group voicing it since its inception. Every journalist that visited the site was informed and press releases were sent to local and national news outlets. Letters have been sent to councillors, MPs and other pertinent institutions. Some correspondences were ignored and other responses were revealing.

The various players in this ballooning disgrace have forgotten that the local community contribute to their wages and as the collected evidence suggests the contributions they pay in good faith are getting wasted and being used to intimidate them and brush them aside. That is surely an insult if ever there was one and one that everyone should pay heed too. All that is required by the local community is a legally accountable exit strategy timetable so when the ODA hands the land back the area is in the same condition they found it, in addition to the satisfactory treatment and safe disposal of the contaminated soil. Both of these have been requested and still members of the local community are waiting.

Mark Sorrell (Program manager of the ODA) sent a recent email citing the risks of the tons of contaminated soil as “negligible” and is of the opinion that the best way of getting rid of the asbestos concrete was to hand pick it out. He claimed that this was off the back of a Environmental Agency Advice.

It is worth noting the Judge in the recent ruling to renew the injunction sort by the ODA solicitors described the persons unknown and named defendants concerns “as reasonable and justified.” With regards to Waltham Forest Council they have broken the communities trust, as the Olympic Delivery Authority, Lea Valley Regional Park Authority and Nussli AG have done, they knew beforehand the true requirements needed to build the basketball training facility. The Council knew they would not be able to sanction the building on the Marshes if they had had to do an environmental impact assessment, so they decided to take the easier less accountable option.

Digging two feet into the ground for foundations does not constitute a temporary structure and of course the ODA and contractors were granted retrospective planning permission. As a result they have unearthed tons of old World War Two rubble contaminated with asbestos and lead, putting many people at risk including the imported workforce that are on site day after day. It even raised the concerns of British Waterways which has insisted on protective steps to be taken to prevent rain runoff from the contaminated soil affecting the nearby river.

If we are to get to the bottom of this we need a truly independent soil auditor to carry out the tests or better still an auditor chosen by the deceitful four and one by the community. Let’s see if they match. This is a matter of public interest. It will also mean we can respond accordingly. Perhaps the ODA’s Mark Sorrell would like to speak in person to the local community and explain to them what he means by this being the greenest Olympics ever, how building a temporary multi million pound structure is value for money and what exactly he means by legacy? Perhaps these players instead of hiding behind officialdom, lawyers and the police would have a public consultation and present the community with legal iron cast assurances. I’m sure people would respect that and forgive them for their intimidation and the risks they have subjected the community too.

It’s never nice to point fingers and I’m sure any business man in Mark Sorrell's position would have handled it in the same way, It’s also worth remembering these things take many people to pull of successfully. Recently the project has enlisted the help of Atkin consultants that "support our clients by cutting through complexity to deliver results" and Capita who have their fingers in so many pies it's difficult to know what it is they are getting enlisted for. It is true that this particular project needs all the support it can get because they certainly are not getting it from the community.

I would even go as far as saying that the institution that is most at fault here is the Lea Valley Regional Park Authority. They courted the ODA offering the space as if it was there’s to give, despite the environmental impacts on the rare wild life to be found in and next to the grounds. They know this area to be well used and treasured by the community. Simply put they sold them out ignoring the fact they are paid to be custodians of this metropolitan open land through the community’s council tax. Recently they had a feasibility meeting about extending the ice rink to a five thousand seated stadium. As long suspected Save Leyton Marshes suspicions have been confirmed that the temporary basketball training facility will pave the way for further building works spoiling this land forever. Like the libraries there are few places that are open to all and embrace everyone rich or poor, old or young. The Marshes do just that. There are still things in this life that are sacred.