Dear all, We've been trying to keep mass email updates to a minimum so as not to inconvenience you, but it's time for some important updates! We’ve now been informed that the committee vote on the fate of the concrete factories in Bow East will *not* take place on October 25th, and has been postponed to the 22nd of November. This comes as no surprise to us, as it is obvious that were these proposals to go to committee vote now, they would be flatly rejected. Our campaign has now escalated to the political stage. Since our last email, several senior politicians have decided to get involved and lend their support. Particularly worth mentioning are London Assembly Member Unmesh Desai and Councillor Terry Paul of Newham, who came to meet the residents on site and have been extremely pro-active in helping us lobby the Mayor’s Office (links below). Also worth mentioning is the *fantastic* letter of objection submitted to the LLDC by the Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales – well done Sir, we are grateful to you for your unequivocal stance on this issue! And they’re not alone: other politicians have stepped in to help us as well, like London Assembly Member Sir Andrew Boff who has recently stated: “The legacy of the £9.3 billion investment in the Olympic site was to give Londoners better places to live, more jobs per hectare and a cleaner environment. This development will make the residential areas less attractive, provide fewer jobs and pollute the air with particulates. On every criteria this application needs to be clearly and convincingly rejected.” So the applicants and the LLDC are trying to delay the decision, hoping that a vote held closer to Christmas which would mean reduced citizen, political and media interest on “local” (East-end) issues, whilst giving them time to “clean up” improprieties left wide open during the earlier stages on the process. So it's up to us to keep the pressure on, and with your help, we will. It is not too late to submit Objection Letters to the LLDC, and it's not to late to tell your Coucillors and MPs that they should firmly stand against those plans! (see list below) If you need any help or guidance on how you could help and get involved, please contact us directly as contact@opcrd.org More updates as they come, Sincerely, Hanan Links and further information: Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham’s Letter of Objection: http://planningregister.londonlegacy.co.uk/swift/MediaTemp/5568-109037.10.16.pdf GLA Member Unmesh Desai and CCLR Terry Paul’s on site visit: http://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/newham_councillors_push_for_action_against_concrete_factories_1_4742697