Reinstatement of Porters Field   

(27/Sept/2012 photos courtesy Hackney Councillor Ian Rathbone)
  Lea Marshes   Basketball project

 
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Demolition road map

The turf specially grown to be laid on the site of the now demolished Olympic basketball courts on Porters Field, is expected to be laid on Monday 8 Oct.

I'm attaching some pics from yesterday's site visit at Leyton Marsh for use in whatever way. Others present please correct or add as I'm bound not to get it all! 59.14 ... where they took a chunk of top soil to test for asbestos etc. We

Cllr Ian Rathbone took part in a site visit (and provided these pbhotos). During the visit he argued for more sampling right across the pile but they said they had done what was industry standard.

On the Lea side (closest to Hackney) the ground is heavily rutted with rocks ground into the soil. Cllr Rathbone was told that this would be scraped and then covered with a thin layer of soil prior to the laying of the turf.

But it was far from clear when or how that would happen, leading to doubts that the promise would actually be kept.

"The boundaries of where they are going to lay the turf seemed arbitrary," said Cllr Rathbone. "When I questioned the contractor as to preservation of meadowland and putting it back the way it was. An LBWF (Waltham Forest Council) official volunteered they would check on a topographical plan.quot; I asked about photos taken beforehand which I seem to remember Mr Sorrell telling us. .