It’s too large:
The plant would be one of the very largest in Europe, centralising waste for seven London boroughs
It’s built to meet forecasts of rising waste levels 30 years hence – but waste levels are going down
The plant will import waste – from where we do not know but North London has enough of its own
It’s in the wrong place:
Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) Grade 1 of Borough-wide importance
The site is on a green corridor
It sits 80m from the nearest housing and 14 schools lie within a 1.5Km radius of the site
There is a better way:
Use existing waste sites effectively, including intensifying their productivity through investment
Build smaller plants, local to waste production, if and only if demand shows them being required
Work to reduce the levels of waste ending up in black bags – reuse, recycle, rethink
Simple?
Yes but this is an £8 billion pound initiative, heavily resourced to deliver. A lot of money is at stake. To date the Pinkham Way Alliance has faced two public hearings for two major planning inquiries and a multitude of challenges. And yet more are expected. This is a David vs Goliath fight.
It’s going to be horrible:
The North Circular Road and the Colney Hatch junction hardly need another thousand plus daily vehicles
Air quality in the area is already below requirements
Our visits to other UK plants highlight the real risk of foul smells and fly infestations to local and not so local premises