Firms fight for Olympic compensation

By Avril Ormsby

LONDON (Reuters) - When it was announced the Olympic Games were coming to east London, more than 200 businesses were forced out.

More than half are still seeking compensation nine months after the July 2007 deadline to leave.

The 500-acre site around Marshgate Lane, where the main stadium, aquatics centre and velopark will be built, was a polluted and largely forgotten area.

But it suited a lot of the businesses because it had easy access to trade and customers in inner London.

Some firms have found it difficult to relocate, with a few going out of business.

About 102 of the 193 businesses are still locked in negotiations with the London Development Agency (LDA) over compensation, while two want to go to tribunal.

One company still pursuing a disturbance claim is H. Forman & Son, the oldest-established salmon curer.

It had to build a new factory on Fish Island just yards from its previous location -- because it was to be turned into the athletics home straight.