PERMISSION for a campsite to house 600 Olympic tourists should be granted, according to council officers, when a decision is made on Monday (November 28).

An Australian operator wants to use the grounds of Wanstead and Snaresbrook Cricket and Football Club in Overton Drive as a temporary campsite for the duration of the London Games next summer.

The proposal has divided the community, and while traders are hoping for a tourist bonanza, 82 neighbours have signed a petition against the plan, and 42 have written letters to the council citing concerns ranging from parking to noise, crime and anti-social behaviour.

Police have voiced concerns about the potential for disorder, but the club’s treasurer Chris Hurd has tried to allay residents’ fears ahead of Monday’s decision.

He said: “Our plan is not for a public campsite, it will only be for those who have prebooked in Australia.

“They have all been notified that there will be no parking available and we expect them to use public transport.

“The club works with 18 local schools and has 350 juniors on its books, and the money raised through this will benefit the community.”

Drinks would be served in the club house until 11pm daily, but the club insists there will be round-the-clock patrols of the site and there will be no drinking inside the tents.

Peggy Webster, 81, who lives on Overton Drive said: “Some people say there won’t be any noise from people at the campsite because that’s what they have been told by the cricket club, but I can’t see how you can be so sure. I’m not a killjoy, this is just not a convenient place for them to have this site.”

Claudia McNulty, 67, of Langley Drive, said: “I don’t want the cricket club to be out of pocket and I know they do a lot for the community, but it would be better if we didn’t have this site. We are only metres away from the cricket club, and I worry about the noise late at night as people return to the campsite.”