Plans to bring a round of the Formula E championship to London’s Battersea Park may be racing past without robust scrutiny, according to objections from local groups and some within the local authority in charge.

The primary purpose of Formula E is to push for a reduction in mankind’s impact on the environment, by accelerating the development and adoption of electric cars. It’s somewhat ironic, then, that concerns raised over plans to hold a round of the electric championship at London’s Battersea Park centre around the potential for damage and disruption to the local area.

Do detractors have a point, or are the objections just old fashioned ‘nimbyism’? A council meeting tonight will decide whether or not to progress the proposals for the Formula E race, which would visit the venue for five years. Some believe that the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

Holding a motor race in London is not an easy thing to do, particularly as it currently requires the permission of Parliament to close public roads for motor racing. The roads within Battersea Park do not need such permissions, however, which means that it is up to the local council to decide whether or not the event is appropriate for the area.

According to our sources at Wandsworth council, the decision is probably already made. “We were basically offered money for the use of the park,” says our source. “The projection is 40,000 visitors. Most of my colleagues are very excited by the prospect of it, and see it putting Wandsworth on the world stage. Others are dazzled by the money on offer (which is ‘lots’, but no one is told exactly how much). I get a very strong sense that a combination of the money and (almost as important) the council’s desire for the status they believe will come with hosting the event this will get pushed through.”

The council’s vote tonight is not the beginning of the story. London was earmarked early to be the opening round of the first Formula E season, but it was quickly pushed to the back of the calendar. Beijing became the host city for inaugural Formula E race, on 13 September. It looked as though holding a race in the UK capital was going to be easier said than done, with four different locales reported to be under consideration. They included Battersea Park, the former Olympic Park, Hyde Park and Wimbledon.

“There was a detailed survey being carried out near the beginning of the year before any of the public discussion locally,” confirms our source. It recently emerged that Audi Sport ABT driver (and winner of the Beijing race) Lucas di Grassi drove the proposed circuit in a Spark-Renault in the summer.

“The council has been stressing how quiet the cars are, but haven’t really said much about the infrastructure, which worries me a bit,” our source goes on. “They have invested a lot of time and effort working with Formula E (long before the plans were made public), allowing access to the park. It long ago reached a stage at which backing out would be incredibly difficult. If the race does not take place at Battersea Park it will not be because of the council or its democratic processes.”

In contrast, the council is keen to stress that it is not being taken along for a ride. “We haven’t yet determined whether or not we will be moving forward with these proposals,” we were told by Charlie Mason-Smith, the council’s press officer. “And at this stage there are no figures on the table. If the event goes ahead, then we would clearly look for a significant sum in return for allowing our park to be used as a Formula E venue.”

Money – or the lack of detail about it – isn’t the only matter that’s causing concern. The objections to using Battersea Park include:

The suitability of using a heritage area for a motor racing event The damage and disruption to the park that would be caused by the construction and disassembly of required infrastructure, for several weeks leading up to the race and at least a week subsequent Denying the public free access to the park on a busy summer’s day

These are all things that can be addressed with proper planning and careful management. The London 2012 Olympic Games proved that the entire city could be turned into a sporting venue without causing paralysis of the transport systems and without leaving lasting adverse effects.

The temporary shooting venues at the Royal Artillery Barracks serve a particularly good example of how temporary infrastructure can be set up and dismantled with the minimum of fuss. Engineering firm Mott MacDonald designed the three huge buildings that were constructed using a modular approach, with structural steel skeletons covered in tensioned PVC inner and outer skins. Clever use of 3D modelling and data systems showed that the translucent skins would reduce the need for artificial lighting, and helped when designing ventilation to exacting requirements while reducing energy demands.

The structures were set atop foundations made from recycled steel piles, which were simply extracted after the event and put to use elsewhere. Even drainage systems, installed to eliminate load on the local sewerage system, were temporary affairs and removed post-Games. This example could allay fears over setting up infrastructure in a heritage site.

When it comes to public access, although tickets were sold to the grandstands at the Beijing fixture, members of the public could – and did – watch from all around the track free of charge. That would likely be the case at Battersea Park too, especially as the series organiser has proved so far that it is more interested in seeing healthy crowds at track side than flogging overpriced tickets.

Of course, there’s no question that setting up a race track, however temporary, is a disruptive affair. There are hundreds of concrete blocks and steel catch fencing that must be trucked in and put together, kerbs, many kilometres of cabling, facilities for media and for VIPs, pit garages, grandstands, catering, offices and much more. The pictures posted by the Formula E event organiser in Malaysia show just how long it’s taking to that track ready for next month’s race in Putrajaya. There are also the “eVillage” (an area of trade stands which was located adjacent to the paddock area at the Beijing track) and plans in the works for a motor show too.

How the potential disruption of setting up the track and any effects on wildlife balance off against a potential windfall for the local area, we don’t yet know.

But Britain is home to a plethora of leading engineering firms – including the likes of Mott MacDonald, Arup and Atkins, to name just a few – whose daily job is to deliver complex construction jobs with minimal adverse impact to the environments and communities in which they work and at minimal cost. With such a wealth of talent already in-country, it’s not unreasonable to expect to see innovative solutions developed for the Battersea Park race track.

Really, everything hinges on how open the council is prepared to be about its planning processes in this case, to what extent it is willing to involve local stakeholders in decision making and how creative the solutions of the design, engineering and construction partners are. It might take a little longer now, but timely and accurate information sharing that allows full participation will help the council shape its plans to best meet the needs of all involved for the next five years, including the park itself.