As if the London 2012 Olympics did not have enough problems (including a budget that is out of control, and a site contaminated with toxic waste) it has now hit another hurdle.
Plans to move a group of Travellers, from Clays Lane Newham, to make way for the Olympics have come unstuck.
The Travellers who have lived on the same East London site for 35 years, part of an area designated for the Games, have been offered an alternative site. However, the site that they have been offered is one of the few green spaces in the area currently used for sport and recreation.
The Travellers and the residents have formed an alliance to fight the plans to move them on to what is being described by some as "a traffic island". Lawyers for the Travellers are threatening a judicial review, which would significantly delay any moves.
Tracie Giles, from one of 15 families, said:
"It's ridiculous. It's a local park."
Jonathan Green, a resident and chairman of a joint action group, said:
"Many of the houses and flats round here don't have gardens so it is the one green space they can go to."
It is clear that whoever did the planning for the 2012 Games either did not do a very thorough job, or assumed that "issues" such as this could just be bulldozed out of the way (as they are doing in China).
This bodes ill for the future/success of the 2012 Games.
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