Three Games, three eviction stories. In September 2009 Planning Theory and Practice Magazine published, in its Interface section, three articles on displacement caused by three different mega-events, the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The publication is attached.

The LDA has now provided the information I asked for, see below*. Ms Adams says 'If it is helpful, I address each aspect of your request below for the sake of clarity.' That is certainly useful and, 'for the sake of clarity', would indeed have been helpful first time round! Still, let's not be churlish and thank the LDA for providing the information requested.

In a mealy-mouthed response to my request for information about the costs of acquiring several pieces of land in the north of the Olympic Park the LDA says ‘The Commissioner in that Decision Notice required the LDA to disclose to you the “withheld information”. That term is not specifically defined…’ The LDA then goes on to argue, in its letter of 26th September 2008 (attached), that the information withheld related to the leasehold of the Clays Lane estate and the freehold of the Park Village estate “and not in relation to the other pieces of land requested by you on 15th September 2008”.

The 2012 blog continues to churn out the same misleading information. A recent posting by a local resident reminded me of the experience of going through the compulsory purchase inquiry and having our estate and community dismissed by the LDA. I tried to post a comment but, not for the first time, that was disallowed. Like a true colonialist operation the ODA claims to listen to ordinary people and to practise inclusion, but its own publicly funded website refuses to allow a proper debate.

The LDA has been told in a ruling by the Information Commissioner to supply details of how much it paid for a number of sites, including the Clays Lane estate, purchased under the Compulsory Purchase Order, and to whom this money was paid. The original request was made in July 2008, see attachment ‘LDA FoI response on cpo statements’. Curiously the complaint was upheld because, despite claiming an exemption, the LDA failed to offer a reason why it should apply.

Climate Camp 'Swoop'..."to show our solidarity with communities in East London displaced by the Olympics and fighting for a positive legacy"

Wednesday 26th August 2009 outside Stratford station, fo

Over the past few years various Parliamentary and Greater London Assembly Committees have produced reports on different aspects of the 2012 Olympics. One aspect they have not considered is what happened to those evicted to make way for the great project. However, some witnesses, like the Mayor of Newham, have taken the opportunity to heap undeserved praise on themselves for their handling of the evictions when appearing before the House of Commons Select Committee. So in the summer of 2008 I decided to write to the Chair of the House of Commons Select Committee tracking the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, in other words, the Olympics. He passed my letter to the Clerk of the Committee who invited me to send in information to the Committee. It would then be up to the members of the committee to respond and, if they felt inclined, to ask some questions.

The BBC documentary, ‘Last Stand at Stratford’, part of the series ‘Building the Olympic Dream’, shown on BBC 2 on Wednesday 11th March was to have featured those being evicted to make way for the 2012 Olympics over three programmes. However, BBC chiefs decided to cut their participation to one programme. Consequently the Travellers, who were filmed for almost two years, were left out altogether. A number of residents at Clays Lane were included in the filming but in the event I was the only resident featured. Lance Forman of Forman’s Salmon Smokery ended up representing the businesses while the Manor Gardens Allotment holders survived as the only community on show.