Is it true the mosque site at West Ham is contaminated? Is it a health hazard?
A. Yes. The site was previously used by a chemical factory and over the years became much polluted. TJ’s application to Newham Council in 2002 for three extensions to the current small temporary mosque on the site was opposed by planning officers because of health and safety concerns for site users.A March 2007 Waterman Environmental contamination report was commissioned by TJ representatives at the insistence of Newham Council, and was forced into the public by a Freedom of Information request by a local councillor. Alarmingly, it confirms that the environmental risk of the site, which is still in daily use, is “medium/high” and the risk to current site users from the highly contaminated soils is “potentially significant”.We believe it is irresponsible of TJ to have continued to use the site since they purchased it in 1996 without addressing the recognised health and safety issues connected with heavy site contamination.
A. Yes. The site was previously used by a chemical factory and over the years became much polluted. TJ’s application to Newham Council in 2002 for three extensions to the current small temporary mosque on the site was opposed by planning officers because of health and safety concerns for site users. A March 2007 Waterman Environmental contamination report was commissioned by TJ representatives at the insistence of Newham Council, and was forced into the public by a Freedom of Information request by a local councillor. Alarmingly, it confirms that the environmental risk of the site, which is still in daily use, is “medium/high” and the risk to current site users from the highly contaminated soils is “potentially significant”. We believe it is irresponsible of TJ to have continued to use the site since they purchased it in 1996 without addressing the recognised health and safety issues connected with heavy site contamination.
