The Hackney Wick community is deeply concerned, frustrated, and upset about their exposure to carcinogenic substances from the construction works taking place on the Hackney Yards project. These concerns echo those raised in 2018 regarding an adjacent site developed by Telford Homes.

Construction on the Hackney Yards project was halted in April 2024 after reports of very pungent smells emanating from site E/F. Work resumed on site K2N on September 9th and on site E/F on October 7th. Work stopped again on November 11th after the discovery that the exposure threshold was exceeded for Benzene on site K2N. 

The community requests that work does not recommence on this site, nor start on other sites in Hackney Wick, until the following concerns and requests have been addressed. At the time of writing this petition, work should be stopped on both sites, but construction activities are taking place.

Relevant Links

• Hackney Yards - Air Quality Reports
• Notting Hill Genesis - Hackney Yards
• Hackney Wick: Investigation launched over building site smell
• 2018 - Furious Hackney Wick residents demand answers over contaminated construction site

Request 1: Reduce Exposure to Carcinogenic Substances

• Implement additional air quality mitigation measures, such as tenting or similar approaches.
• Provide of updated health guidance for children from the age of 0 to reflect the demographics of the local community.

Context

• During the week of November 11th, the community was informed that the 10-week exposure threshold had been exceeded at one of the monitoring points. However, due to the delay in obtaining results, the data indicating the exceedance is from approximately 3 weeks prior. This means the community experienced an additional 3 weeks of exposure beyond the threshold. 
• Residents have reported various health issues, including vomiting, sore throats, and headaches. Additionally, a resident's cat has been diagnosed with low neutrophil levels in a routine blood test, with the veterinarian suspecting benzene exposure as the cause.
• The data references safe exposure levels for 6-year-old children, Gainsborough Primary School, Mossbourne Riverside Primary Academy, ME Place Nursery, and Gainsborough Nursery are nearby with children as young as a few months old.

Request 2: Daily Publication of Air Quality Data

• Daily publication of independent air quality data, as was done at the start of construction. 

Context

• Communications from Ardmore noted a 1-week delay in publishing air quality data. Despite numerous requests from the community, there was a 4-week delay in publishing air quality data. This has resulted in the exposure to harmful substances noted above. 

Request 3: Improved Air Quality Monitoring

• Engagement of an independent air quality monitoring company that is not commissioned by the Contractor.
• Additional passive monitoring tube at ME Place Nursery.
• Air quality data is provided for all days on which construction work occurs.

Context

• Currently, there is no passive air quality monitoring near ME Place Nursery. 
• When work resumed at site K2N at the beginning of September, air quality was monitored with sensors that the LLDC, the Council, and the appointed engineering firm, ARUP, deemed unsuitable for this context. This resulted in unreliable air quality data. Stakeholders advised that new sensors were installed after approximately 4 weeks. However, the specific dates and updated data are yet to be provided. 
• No air quality data has been provided for Saturdays, despite construction activities taking place.
• There is a lack of transparent data on the cumulative exposure of the community to harmful substances across both construction sites K2N and E/F.
• Reports indicate that the odour level in the area is rated 0 on a scale of 0 to 6. This contradicts the community’s experiences and erodes trust in the process and the impartiality of the appointed engineers.

Request 4: Publication of thresholds, expected actions, accountability and enforcement

• Define and document in a publicly accessible location, clear and unambiguous air quality thresholds that include explicit and specific actions that Ardmore and the Councils will take if/when thresholds are exceeded. The Councils enforce these actions.
• Clarification on what decisions will be made from the odour level smell test. Details are to be provided on the measures put in place to ensure the validity of this inherently subjective test.  

Context

• There have been several instances where Ardmore did not act according to the guidelines agreed to and no accountability was enforced.
• At the time of writing this petition, work should be stopped on the sites, but site activities are taking place. This has been reported to Councillors and MPs.  
• The report for the week commencing October 14th noted that Ardmore ceased active monitoring at site K2N without notifying other stakeholders. This was despite multiple concerns and complaints from the community.
• The maximum thresholds for VOCs and specific substances were consistently exceeded with no explicit or specific actions taken, and no accountability enforced.
• There is a lack of clarity from the Councils on the thresholds that would necessitate pausing or stopping work. Initially, it was the VOC threshold being exceeded for an extended period. When that threshold was regularly broken, the focus shifted to cumulative weekly substance exposure. When that was exceeded, attention turned to the passive monitoring tubes.

Request 5: Responsive Stakeholder Engagement

• Community concerns are directly responded to, in writing, within 3 working days. 
• Development of a community engagement plan in collaboration with the community.
• Stakeholders refer to the issues as air quality issues, not odour issues

Context

• Exceeding benzene exposure thresholds was raised by the community to Councillors, MPs, and other stakeholders in mid-October, yet no clear response was provided to community members and no clear action taken.
• Communication and engagement from Tower Hamlets Council has been very limited to date. 
• Stakeholders continuously refer to the issues as being odour issues, despite evidence of this being an air quality problem and community concerns on air quality specifically. 
• At least two additional sites in Hackney Wick have received planning approval and will begin construction soon.
• The current sites are being poorly managed for the reasons noted above. This mismanagement has resulted in escalating tensions and physical altercations near the sites.