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Imagine, joy of joys, scraping together a deposit for your first home next to the old Olympic site, which for Zone 2 is one of the few places where you still feel like you can breathe. Everything is hunky dory – until six weeks after you move in you find out your new neighbours might come in the form of four giant concrete and asphalt factories. That'd suck, right?
Nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition against proposals submitted to the London Legacy Development Corporation, (tasked with protecting the 2012 Olympic legacy) which include three concrete batching plants and an asphalt production plant on a site bordered by residential buildings, the London Athletics Centre and the UCL East campus.
Local resident Emma Critchley is just one of many worried about the affect the extra pollution will have on her health and the surrounding area and you only need to scroll through the comments below the petition to see that this is not the Olympic legacy most Londoners had in mind.
Critchley says: 'So much good could be done with that land, which retains its industrial use and fits in line with the ethos of the area. Something that actually draws people to the area and makes it even more desirable than it already is.'
The plans would see an estimated 900 heavy goods vehicles clog the roads to and from the Queen Elizabeth Park and all that concrete dust, exhaust and asphalt fumes can't sit well with asthma sufferers, alfresco diners or with mayor Sadiq Khan's plans to battle London's toxic air.
A representative from the mayor's office is an observer on the LLDC board, but a statement issued to The Guardian said the mayor 'had no powers to get involved in decision making.'
The LLDC said it would not comment on planning applications currently under consideration.
Sign the petition at change.org and find out more about the Olympic Park Coalition for Responsible Development at opcrd.org.
The plans will be discussed at an LLDC meeting in September, which is open to the public or you can express concerns via the planning register using these codes:
15/00368/FUL
15/00400/FUL
15/00414/FUL
Meanwhile, here are five ways you can reduce exposure to air pollution.