CAMPAIGNERS are threatening to take the council to a judicial review if they press ahead with planning proposals.

People have voiced anger at the possibility of at least 500 homes being built on two sites next to King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

Meenakshi Sharma, who lives in Ilford, has vowed that campaigners would crowdfund a judicial review challenging Redbridge Council’s Local Plan 2015-2030, which was approved by the planning inspector.

Now, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust (BHRUT), which runs King George Hospital, is in discussion with the council about the possibility of releasing land for new development.

Ms Sharma, 55, said: “We will taking the local plan to a judicial review if the council adopts it. There are some very inappropriate developments and not enough affordable housing.

“We are very fearful about what’s happening. If you talk to people who care about the area they will say it has been sacrificed for the rest of the borough. It has been dumped on.

“People want to preserve their greenbelt and conservation areas, to the detriment of the quality of life of people here. We wouldn’t get this in Barkingside High Street or Wanstead High Street.

“We are becoming more and more concreted and we are feeling the effects. The council and the GLA (General London Assembly) don’t think our voices matter. People deserve a good quality of life even if they live in a deprived area.”

Andy Walker, a long-time activist, has started a petition calling on BHRUT to expand the hospital’s capacity to cater for London’s growing population.

He said: “We have got to have a balance. We have got to have a huge expansion of schools and hospital beds to cope with London’s growing population. The council’s under pressure to house people but they must scrutinise the NHS.

“Grieving families will be next to fireworks and it’s just not right. It strikes me as common sense that in a civilised society we have respect for the sick.

“You don’t want families and people in their back gardens getting drunk and misbehaving near grieving people. The sick need their dignity.

“It strikes me as too much development. You need more beds with the existing population, let alone the growing one.”

London’s population is predicted to grow by more than a million in the decade ending 2026. The capital’s current population is 8.788 million as of 2016.

The council has not yet submitted a planning application.

Tahir Ahmed, director of estates at BHRUT said: “We have not sold any land from our King George Hospital site for development.

“As part of its draft Local Plan, Redbridge Council is reviewing a number of sites which may be removed from Greenbelt, which includes our hospital.

“It’s really important that we use our land in the most effective way to best meet the health needs of our local population in the future. The document is still in its draft stage and nothing has yet been confirmed and we will continue to liaise with the council.”

The Guardian has approached Redbridge Council for comment.