Owner of salmon smokery will be among businesses objecting to compulsory purchase orders as public enquiry begins.

A nine-week public enquiry over the London Development Agency's compulsory purchase order, which it needs to free up land for London's 2012 Olympic park, will begin today.

Around 30 to 40 objections to the CPO are expected during the enquiry, although around 90% of the 306-hectare site is already in public hands following a series of last-minute deals with occupiers struck over the weekend.

The LDA has already spent around £750m acquiring land on the Lower Lea Valley site, and expects the process of moving the 206 businesses and around 450 residents to cost a total of £1.1bn.

Gareth Blacker, head of the LDA's land team, said that around 85 objectors to the CPO had asked to speak at the inquiry but that that number was likely to fall to around 40 by the end of the week as more agreements with tenants are secured.

Blacker added that one major objector was a man claiming he has held the copyright for staging the Olympics in the Lower Lea Valley for the last 17 years.

He added that an accord is likely to be reached in the coming days with Lance Forman, the owner of the world's oldest salmon smokery, who has been one of the strongest objectors to the CPO.

New trade and industry secretary Alastair Darling is expected to approve the CPO by November, and all current occupants are expected to leave the Olympic site by July 2007.

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