The developers behind the unpopular 100 Avenue Road tower block project are, with a new contractor, seeking to change the construction management plan (CMP) so that 54-foot articulated lorries will now pass through Swiss Cottage Open Space.
At a public meeting to discuss the proposed amendments to the scheme, Essential Living's proposed contractor for the second phase of the scheme - Mace - explained that London Underground Limited would not allow one of the project's cranes to lift heavy materials over the Avenue Road entrance to Swiss Cottage station.
Mace's Neil Batty is set to run the project on the ground should Mace and EL agree a contract.
He told the meeting this change meant that the CMP had had to be re-thought.
He said "the big thing that's changed" was that LUL "say we can't lift over their estate". In the original plan, that was the way it was going to be done."
Mr Batty said the problem meant that unless the CMP was changed the project could be 11 months longer.
The proposed amendments would mean that a maximum of 25 articulated lorries would enter the building site itself each day, as opposed to simply using the 'pit lane' which is in operation on the A41.
But the new CMP would also stop the use of Winchester Road by construction traffic.
Campaigners at the meeting said this was simply moving the pollution from one place to another.
Janine Sachs, who unsuccessfully challenged a previous version of the CMP in the High Court earlier this year, told this newspaper this should "all have been resolved" last year during the planning process for the approved CMP
She added: "This new proposal is clearly a material change. There are new routes and new access points and clearly bringing in up to 25 massive 54ft articulated lorries per day into the site using the Open Space and Parkland is a substantial increase compared to the original proposal.
"A potential 450pc increase of polluting lorries through our green space is obviously unacceptable. "
Opening the meeting, EL's Barry Coltrini explained there was to be another consultation event on October 30 at 6pm at Swiss Cottage Library before the new CMP was submitted for approval.
A council officer confirmed there would then be a "minimum of two weeks" before the plan went before councillors.
A spokesperson for Transport for London, of which LUL is a subsidiary said: "The safety of our staff and customers is our top priority. We have advised Essential Living that using cranes to lift materials over our working station entrance is not compliant with London Underground safety standards." The spokesperson said TfL is working with EL to find an alternative.
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