WAY BACK IN APRIL 2006 "THE TIMES" HIGHLIGHTED, AS DID THIS WEBSITE,A DISPUTE AMONG DEVELOPERS OF THE LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC SITE ABOUT WHO WOULD GET CONTROL OF THE SITE FOR DEVELOPEMENT AFTER THE LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES. ONE COMPANY WAS DEMANDING"A FULLWAIVER FROM ANY FUTURE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS IN RELATION TO THE SITE ". MANY LONDONERS DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE DEMAND FOR " A FULL WAIVER" WAS ALL ABOUT BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE WHEELERS, DEALERS, THE GOVERNMENT, THE MAYOR (K.LIVINGSTONE) THE LONDON LABOUR MP'S. AND THE OLYMPIC DELIVERY AUTHORITY, SO WE COULD ONLY GUESS WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT - A GUESS BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF "THE DOME" AND THE MAJOR PROBLEM OF THE CONTAMINATED SOIL ON THAT SITE WHICH HAD TO BE REMOVED AT ENORMOUS EXPENSE.
THOSE LONDONERSOLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER WHAT THE 2012 OLYMPIC SITE LOOKED LIKE MANY YEARS AGO WILL RECALL THAT CHEMICAL FACTORIES - PAINT MANUFACTURERS - SOAP AND FERTILISER FACTORIES - PERFUME PLANTS - FURNITURE MANUFACTURERS AND DOZENS OF OTHER SMALL INDUSTRIES OCCUPIED THIS SITE FOR 100 YEARS AND IT WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST INDUSTRIAL SITE IN LONDON, PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT FOR THOUSANDS. OVER THIS PERIOD THIS AREA SOAKED UP ALL THE WASTE THESE INDUSTRIES DUMPED ONTO IT AND CLEARLY THIS HUGE SITE BECAME VERY CONTAMINATED - BUT WAS OF NO CONCERN AT THE TIME BECAUSE HEALTH AND SAFETY MATTERS DID NOT PLAY SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART IN OUR LIVES AS IT DOES TODAY. IS THIS CONTAMINATION THE REASON WHY THOSE WHO WANTED CONTROL OF THIS SITE AFTER THE LONDON OLYMPICS WERE DEMANDING "a full waiver from legal proceedings in relation to the site" ? - and why those selling their interest in the site were refusing to give it ?NOW HERE WE ARE - FOUR YEARS ON, AND THE QUESTION OF CONTAMINATION AND RADIOACTIVITY ON THIS LONDON OLYMPIC SITE IS RAISING DOUBTS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF FUTURE PROJECTS ON IT, SUCH AS HOUSES, SHOPS, CLUBS, ETC. THE LATEST INFORMATION, OBTAINED BY SUNDAY EXPRESS RESEARCHERS MIKE WELLS AND PAUL CHARMAN, PUBLISHED IN FEBRUARY 2010, CLAIMS THAT LAND ON THE SITE COULD BE CONTAMINATED WITH ASBESTOS AND RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS AND THAT A THIN ORANGE PLASTIC SHEET HAS BEEN PLACED LESS THAN 3 FEET BENEATH THE SURFACE TO SEPARATE THE TOPSOIL FROM THE POTENTIALLY HEAVILY CONTAMINATED GROUND BELOW THE SHEET (NOW THE PENNY BEGINS TO DROP ABOUT THE DEMAND FOR "a full waiver from any legal proceedings in relation to the site"
The orange plastic sheet is a warning marker layer to anyone building new homes, offices etc that they must follow special precautions if they need to excavate any deeper.