At Monday’s Newham Council meeting, Cllr Craig will propose that, in view of Islamic sect Tablighi Jamaat's "troubled track record of irresponsibility and illegality" at the site, the Mayor should liaise with the relevant statutory authorities with a view to bringing the site into community ownership as soon as possible.
The Christian Peoples Alliance head will further propose that the 18 acre site should then be cleaned of contamination and developed as an Olympic legacy location containing an attractive community leisure facility along the lines of Atlanta's 21 acre Olympic Park & Fountain of Rings.
Cllr Craig has said that the trustees of the site of Tablighi Jamaat’s proposed mega-mosque at West Ham have erected buildings on site without planning permission and in breach of building control, despite serious and clear warnings from council officers.
In addition, he says that Tablighi Jamaat have almost entirely failed to fulfil the terms of the five year Memorandum of Agreement solemnly entered into with the council.
He adds that the controversial Islamic group have contiued to use the site on a daily basis despite the expiration twelve months ago of their temporary planning permission."Over recent years Tablighi Jamaat have flouted planning regulations, breached building control, broken a formal Memorandum of Agreement and failed to deal adequately with the health and environment risk from the highly contaminated soil," said Cllr Craig.
"They have a lamentable track record of irresponsibility and illegality. Clearly Tablighi Jamaat are not fit to build and manage a major landmark mosque - or indeed any other large building.”
Looking ahead to the Olympics in 2012, Cllr Craig added: "Newham is the lead host borough for the 2012 Olympics when the world will be coming to east London. The council should take the lead on this key site which stands beside a major access point to the Olympic stadium.
"By 2012 the site should be a place which brings communities together and which can be used by people of all backgrounds and faiths both during and after the Olympics.”
