Neighbours were left divided after a meeting to quell concerns about soil contamination beneath a planned housing project.
Locals in Maida Vale have been locked in a battle with Westminster Council over its plans to build 21 homes on a former car park at Torridon House.
Opponents have pointed to reports suggesting soil on the site was polluted, but work started on January 4.
Council officers yesterday (January 19) brought objectors together with developer Osborne and a consultant from risk assessment company RSK at a meeting at Tollgate Gardens Community Centre in Kilburn High Road.
Westminster Council was slammed as "absolutely dire" as residents said they were not properly consulted and officers did not respond to calls.
Some cited "excessive, intolerable vibrations", with "horrendous" drilling starting in the early hours, and one neighbour claimed to have videos of her kitchen shaking.
Bill Pratt, the headteacher of Naima Jewish Prepatory School, joined residents from Torridon House and Randolph House, which all border the site.
He said he had called on December 12 for such a meeting but that "conveniently" the building work had started in the delay.
He added: "Goodwill is now in such short supply and the only people to blame for that seem to be a combination of Westminster, Osbornes and other factors.
"Residents and the school are left with the distinct impression that they simply don’t matter – the works will happen, at any human cost, due to political and financial motivation and considerations."
A land contamination risk assessment carried out on behalf of the council by Stantec in February 2022 said the potential for "significant" contamination at the site is "low" but that site workers should wear appropriate protective clothing and prevent prolonged skin contact inhalation and ingestion of soils".
Residents, fearful that nothing was growing on the soil, commissioned their own report by Enviro Solution, which found substances that can cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation as well as cancers.
Bill said he "championed" another survey "to allay fears and repair relations".
But Andrew Fellows, principal consultant at RSK, told the meeting that the contaminants were the same found in concentrations in ash and car exhaust and petrol fumes.
He acknowledged that 8mg of contaminated particles found "were above" the standard recommendations of 5mg.
Among precautions, he said there would be a "cover scheme" of clean materials on all landscape areas on the site so "people using the site cannot come into contact with contaminants".
Sylvia Dibble, secretary of Randolph Gardens Residents Association, said: "We are asking for a full depth independent report. "It looks like the council wants to push this through without checking what's there."
She said people "need peace of mind".
Sarah Kirby, a resident at Torridon House, said all another report would prove is that 8mg of contaminants is there.
She was concerned that there was no activity at the site, then talk of soil contamination and "all of a sudden it's accelerated".
"Who decided that it's ok to do work there?" she asked.
Martin Crank, Westminster's communications and engagement manager at City of Westminster, said all reports were available at the back of the room.
He offered to set up an online Zoom meeting with Stantec and Enviro Solutions but this was declined.
He said that residents could talk to officers in the room about issues that were not related to contamination but had flared at the start of the meeting.
He said: "The council have followed all processes throughout this project and the level of contaminants in the ground cause very low risk, unless managed, in which case they cause no risk."
Osborne's admitted they had twice exceeded vibration levels.
Managing director of construction Mike Smedly said he was "sorry to hear about the vibration".
He suggested that he write a letter outlining what their noise, vibration and dust parameters are so neighbours would know what's "correct" and "so we can be held to account, that we are doing things the right way."
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