A CAMPAIGN to save century-old allotments due to be bulldozed to make way for Olympic development is gathering momentum.

According to the revised masterplan for the Olympic site, the Manor Gardening Society allotments in Waterden Road, Stratford, will be replaced by a footpath.

Campaigners say the strategy will destroy a working example of a sustainable environment, a diverse community and source of local food production contradicting the promised Olympic legacy.

Residents in Leyton are also fighting plans to relocate the allotments to playing fields in Marsh Lane, saying a valuable and much-loved community resource will be lost.

An open day is being held at the allotments on Sunday to raise awareness of the issue.

Campaigners are asking people to join them "in celebration of our beautiful and tranquil, yet verdant and productive gardens created by generations of local people".

Gardening writer Cleves West said: "If the Olympic ideal means anything it should apply to much more than four weeks of running, jumping and swimming.

"Friendship, tolerance, vision and healthy sustainable living are fanfared by those at Manor Garden allotments. In my book, theirs is a torch worth carrying to the ends of the earth."

Tak Hoshimo, senior architecture lecturer at the University of East London, said: "The Olympic Park design represents old-fashioned 19th century thinking which favours hard surfacing and iconic civil engineering rather than an integrated, softer approach.

"Most good landscape architects consider local distinctiveness a priority. The blank canvas' mentality ignores the attachment a piece of ground has with its surroundings."

A spokeswoman for the Olympic Delivery Authority said: "The most important thing about the design is how it works in legacy. There will not be a lot of iconic buildings and there will be a large amount of landscaping to connect the development with the community.

"The context of this is that we appreciate that the allotments are an important local resource, but they will be safeguarded though relocation.

"We need to look at the opportunity provided and what is going on in an area which is full of derilict areas. Green spaces will be brought in and waterways cleaned up.

"Where else in London could this type of development take place? While we appreciate local concerns, he impact on the local area is relatively low considering the amount of space there is in London."

The event runs from noon to 5pm and free food will be provided by Sam and Sam Clark from the Moro restaurant in Clerkenwell.