Conservatives: "North London Waste Plan Public Exhibitions"

Link to Chipping Barnet Conservatives

"Cllr. Kate Salinger said:

"If someone told me that the open space behind my house was going to be turned into a waste recycling unit, I would be furious. So I fully appreciate the concerns felt by many Coppetts Ward residents about the proposals for the Pinkham Way site, North Circular Road."

Editorial: "Indecent Haste by Authorities - so Sieze The Moment!"

The North London Waste Authority pre-application consultation period has (technically) closed already!

http://www.nlwa.gov.uk/procurement/pinkham_way/pinkham_way_public_e...

(but try finding that from the website front page - it is not obvious!)

The equivalent Barnet Council consultation period is a lot longer - until next Monday, 28th!

http://engage.barnet.gov.uk/environment-and-operations/pinkham_way

(Barnet Times)

You may decide that the document available there is unreadable. It is a copy of the display boards at the exhibition last week. However, printing them on A4 means the text is too small to read. This seems to be worthy of your complaint to them!

The other reason to complain, of course, is the very short consultation period. It ought to be 4 to 6 weeks, with considerable advertising. This is pre-planning application consultation, and your comments will have to be documented in a "Statement of Community Involvement" which applies to all big schemes.

Waiting until the planning application itself appears makes it much harder to challenge any of the assumptions about the need for, or scale of, the development. So seize the moment!

Robin Hood Tax (the Comments section is open to you, if you disagree)

New EcoTeam for Bowes Park / Bounds Green

An EcoTeam is being set up in the Bowes Park/Bounds Green area. Further information about EcoTeams can be found here: www.ecoteams.org.uk.

Together people can:

• Meet new people in the community
• Reduce carbon footprints
• Save money on household bills

On average people taking part reduce:

• Their energy and water bills by £170
• The rubbish they throw away by 20%
• The water they use by 15%
• The amount of carbon they emit by 17%

You can join the Bowes Park EcoTeam in two easy steps:

1. Sign up at http://www.ecoteams.org.uk/user/register to join EcoTeams
2. Then visit http://ecoteams.org.uk/og/subscribe/1192 to join the Bowes Park EcoTeam.
3. Meetings will be held at Myddleton Road, Bowes Park. 

A later EcoTeam news item is here.

'Barnet Times' letter

(Click above to enlarge)

Tottenham & Wood Green Journal: "Fears over 540 lorries a day at new Muswell Hill rubbish dump"

Link above to web site

"Tim Hunt, of the Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Association, who lives in Grove Avenue, Muswell Hill, said:

“My main concern about the effect on Muswell Hill in general is the traffic problems that are going to be created.

In Colney Hatch Lane, which is already fantastically congested, all the lorries will come up off the North Circular or Colney Hatch Lane to go along the road which goes to the Friern Bridge Retail Park."

Haringey Cabinet Member: "I recognise the scale of the challenge which the [overall] plan faces"

Link to comments on
Haringey web site

(Comments by Haringey Councillor Nilgun Canver in 2009)

"Well-designed facilities can bring many benefits and opportunities. It's crucial that we find the right sites, and put in place the right policies.

"We must ensure that the new waste facilities that we need are well designed, good neighbours, fit for purpose, and create opportunities for new jobs, new types of green industries, and for local heat and energy systems that can help in the fight against climate change."

---

['Pinkham Way Incinerator' editorial:
This web site is happy to report comments like this by councillors and members of the public. However, we take the view that "local heat and energy" from residual domestic waste is a bad idea - as is "distant heat and energy" from such a source, for that matter. 

Pinkham Way may produce incinerator fuel for a 'gasifying incinerator' elsewhere. Please see the anti-incinerator arguments on UKWIN.

Another factor is that the north London boroughs find it difficult to "put in place the right policies", since they do not control the detailed use of the sites, beyond planning law - that is the responsibility of the North London Waste Authority. The NLWA, in turn, says it is "technology-neutral", and will choose between what the waste industry offers it, when companies bid for the 25 to 35-year NLWA contracts.]

Air Pollution on Pinkham Way, North Circular Road

Link above to The Guardian

"His frustrations with the Labour government over its failure to act has been compounded by the Tory-led coalition. He believes it attempted to 'mislead' the European Commission in September, on the scale of breaches on dangerous particles, known as PM10s."
 

New Green Jobs in Muswell Hill and Friern Barnet and New Southgate?

Comments on the Localism Bill

Link above to cartoonist Steve Bell at The Guardian,
or to the Minister of State here, or a critical commentary here.

Independent on Sunday: "Plastic fantastic! Carrier bags 'not eco-villains after all' "

Link to 'Independent on Sunday'

"A draft report by the Environment Agency, obtained by the 'Independent on Sunday', has found that ordinary high-density polythene (HDPE) bags used by shops are actually greener than supposedly low-impact choices."
 

Barnet opens 'Reuse Centre' in Friern Barnet (Haringey residents also welcome)

Link to 'Let's Recycle' web site

"The Centre, which will be situated at a warehouse on Queens Parade in Friern Barnet, will allow residents to donate unwanted items, which will be checked, and if necessary repaired, by staff and volunteers for resale."

(Extra comment from manager Beth Swallow: "Anyone and everyone is welcome to donate and pick up a bargain at the centre. We won’t be collecting or delivering in Haringey, as we are working in partnership with Restore Community Projects who already cover that area.")

There is the established partnership organisation in Haringey, AND AS FEATURED ON TV !

Link to web site

Barnet has reopened public consultation period

Click for consultation web site

Barnet's web site showed that consultation was only 'open' from 12 February to 16 February, for their part of the site, and was now 'closed'. So you may have missed it!

Following pressure, for at least clarification, the website now shows consultation is 'open' again, until 28 February.

(Comments submitted will have to be documented by Barnet Council in its 'Statement of Community Involvement', which is a necessary part of a large planning application.)
 

Haringey Independent: "Concerns raised about new waste plant in New Southgate"

Link to the web site

"[Local resident] Mrs Gossett expressed concerned that 560 trucks a day, going in and out of the site, would have an impact on the already-congested part of the North Circular."
 

Rumours, lorries,...

Link for details to 'Brent Cross Coalition' (bottom part of that post)

The rumour is that the Pinkham Way section of the North Circular Road will ALSO have to handle lorries from the current Edmonton incinerator site, crawling, sorry travelling, between Edmonton and Brent Cross and back. 


It is thought that the quantities of  'Solid Recovered Fuel' involved would be about twice that created by the Pinkham Way treatment plant. [Later thought to be less than twice - maybe 30-40% more than Pinkham Way.]

Pinkham Way biogas future?

Link to 'Anaerobic Digestion News' web site

"The 'Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association' predicts that 1,000 anaerobic digestion biogas plants will be built in the next five years, at a cost of £5 billion, mostly funded by the private sector.

"We are currently way behind many of our EU counterparts when it comes to AD - it's embarrassing really. There are two main opportunities, either

• farm-scale, self-sufficient in feedstock [like on BBC's 'The Archers'], or
• commercial-scale, handling external feedstock such as food waste."

 

Wider aerial view of Pinkham Way, North Circular Road

Click above to enlarge
(with some screens, click again for full-size image)

Or see a view here, with the 
Barnet and NLWA land marked,
or click here to see all current posts.

Barnet Eye: "Barnet Council Budget Meeting : Bunfight at the KO Coral"

Link to Barnet Cabinet meeting report

"We had the usual Lynn Hillan own goal, when she announced to a hostile crowd: 

"There are places for discussion, and the cabinet is not one of them."

"I could have sworn Brian Coleman looked at me, smiled, and winked as she said it. He knew that the bloggers had their quote."

"The Spectator" - verdict on Barnet Council

"Barnet, which revealed last week that it was thinking of doing away with school crossing patrols ..., voted last year to increase its leader’s allowance by 55 per cent, to £54,000." 


(Click picture for link.)

'Anaerobic Degestion & Biogas News'

Link to the aforementioned

"Defra's Anaerobic Digestion Framework Document should agree a delivery plan for achieving the Coalition Government's commitment to a 'huge increase' in AD.

"It will also look at what barriers exist, and how these can be broken down." [Presumably anaerobically.]
 

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1regf/ADampBiogasNewsIssue/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F302148%2FAD---Biogas-News-Issue-5-February-2011

NLWA mustn't mix up its MBT and its BMT (as if anyone would!)

 Letsrecycle.com, from 2003:

Link above to the 2003 report

"A meeting of the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has heard that 

Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) 

has limitations in its role for North London's waste, ... compared to 

Biological and Mechanical Treatment (BMT)

"Comparing the difference between MBT and BMT, the meeting heard that while MBT produces fuel pellets for recovery or landfill, BMT produces a low-grade compost. 

"The NWLA noted that MBT has a greater land-take than BMT,  but it is less expensive."
 

[Glad we've sorted that out. It was beginning to worry us.]

---

 And Letsrecycle.com, 9 February 2011:

Link to later report

"While the NLWA has stressed in the past it is technology neutral, the reference technology it used to originally secure PFI funding included delivery of:

• two MBTs, 
• a combined heat and power facility, 
• two materials recycling facilities (MRFs), 
• both composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, and 
• four new and refurbished civic amenity sites."

"The NLWA would not comment on what arrangements would be made to secure funding, as an alternative to the withdrawn PFI money." 

[So are you saying that Pinkham Way will produce fuel pellets? Don't you need a process at maybe 700decC to do that?]

Campaigning to 'Stop the new South London Incinerator'

Link above to Sarf of the River

"The only technology not on the table is an 'old fashioned mass-burn incinerator' "

NLWA Pinkham Way - Consultation Sessions

The public exhibition on

12 February (2.30pm - 7pm) and 

15 February (6pm - 8.30pm) 

will be held at

Hollickwood Primary School,

Sydney Road,Muswell Hill, N10 2NL

Directions from Muswell Hill Broadway
• Head north along Colney Hatch Lane
• Go straight across at traffic lights/Shell garage
• Turn right at Sydney Road (3rd right after lights)
• Continue along Sydney Road
• Hollickwood School is on your left just past Roman Road and Oak Avenue

Directions from A406 North Circular Road/Pinkham Way, heading east
• Exit the A406 at the Tesco Extra Supermarket (signposted 'Muswell Hill')
• Turn right at the traffic lights, crossing over the A406, heading south along Colney Hatch Lane
• Turn left at Hampden Road (1st available left after joining Colney Hatch Lane)
• Continue to the end of Hampden Road and turn right onto Sydney Road
• Hollickwood School is on your right just past Audley Close.

The exhibition on

16 February (2pm - 7pm) 

will be held at

St Paul's Church Parish Hall,

High Road / Woodland Road, New Southgate,
N11 1PN

NLWA meeting, 9 Feb: Procurement Update Report

Report of the Director of Procurement

This report updates Members on progress with the procurement of a long term waste disposal services solution for North London and related matters. 

This includes:

• a review of the Government’s October decision in relation to PFI credit support, 
• action taken in the form of an extended Outline Solutions stage, 
• a revised procurement timetable, 
• work on possible alternatives to the current procurement, 
• sites and planning activity, 
• the procurement budget for 2011-12, and 
• risk issues.

Barnet (not Haringey) wants your views

Link to Barnet web site

"We would like to obtain your views on the draft scheme so we can finalise our proposals prior to submitting a planning application in late spring 2011.

"This consultation will open on 12 February 2011. Please come back on or after this date to give us your views."

Biffa - FCC Skanska - SITA Lend Lease - Urbaser SA - Veolia ES Aurora - Covanta Energy - E.ON Energy from Waste - SSE Generation - Viridor Waste Management (Ooh, are we name-dropping?)

8 February

Further to the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) announcement regarding the next stage of its revised procurement process (4 February). The NLWA has today received outline solutions (ISOS) submissions from five bidders on each procurement, as expected.

The bidders are:

•  On Waste Services:

1.        Biffa Waste Services Ltd

2.        FCC Skanska (Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA and
           Skanska Infrastructure Development UK Ltd) (consortium)
3.        SITA Lend Lease (SITA UK Ltd and Catalyst Lend Lease 
           (consortium)
4.        Urbaser SA (with Shanks PFI Investment Ltd , Covanta Energy Ltd
           and Balfour Beatty) (consortium)
5.        Veolia ES Aurora Ltd

•  On Fuel Use:

1.        Covanta Energy Ltd
2.        E.ON Energy from Waste AG / Wheelabrator Technologies Inc
           (consortium)
3.        SSE Generation Ltd
4.        Veolia ES Aurora Ltd
5.        Viridor Waste Management Ltd (Viridor and Keppel Seghers
           Engineering Singapore Pte Ltd (consortium).

The evaluation of these plans will be completed in April 2011, and a report will be submitted to the April meeting of the NLWA. 

[Whereupon, some will get chopped.]

North London Waste Authority: 'We're down, but not defeated'

4 February                                                                                         

The NLWA has announced the next stage of its revised procurement process.

Its plans were hit following the comprehensive spending review (October 2010), when £258.4m in PFI credit support was unexpectedly cut.  The announcement came just months after the new Government had confirmed the funding (July 2010) and that its proposals matched their waste management priorities.

Since last October, the NLWA has been considering its position and next steps.  This included the option of pursuing a judicial review.

 Cllr Clyde Loakes, Chair of the NLWA, said:

"We remain disappointed at DEFRA's decision to cut our £258.4m in PFI credit support.  The decision was unexpected, in large part because our plans had so recently been given the green light.  It also goes against the Government's waste management priorities.

"However, we need to focus on what is the best course of action for the NLWA, which will enable us to achieve our ambition of providing a modern sustainable waste management solution, which offers best value for money to local Council tax payers.

"We felt on balance that pursuing a judicial review, while justified on many levels would not have been in the best interests of local residents.

"We have instead set out a revised timetable which will provide additional time for bidders to update their solutions and to resubmit. We have received an excellent market response from many of the leading waste and energy companies and we look forward to continuing to work with them as our plans progress."

Under the revised timetable, invitations to submit outline solutions (ISOS) has been extended to 8 February 2011.  The evaluation of these plans will be completed in April 2011, and a report will be submitted to the April meeting of the NLWA.
 

Attempt to put the willies up another waste authority

Taken from a lengthy email (and not for the faint-hearted)...

... Yesterday posted a request to the Audit Commission to investigate the whole history of Essex County Council's handling of their waste strategy, et al. I also asked NAO to investigate Defra's role in the matter. Attached is my submission which, you will note, echoes a number of the threads in UKWIN's recent submission to Defra.

NLWA Consultation story in the local press

Link to Barnet Times

Link to 'Brent Cross' web site

"The application has been drawn up in conjunction with Barnet Council, ... and the authority would consider suggestions made which would improve the project.

"The NLWA will then apply to Haringey Council, which has jurisdiction over the site, for planning permission."

"The authority estimates around 560 trucks will go in and out of the plant each working day, predominantly using the A406, Orion Road and Pegasus Way for access."

We say: 

What's that, then? One truck every minute or so, during the day?

Cela a une bonne odeur.

Similar story at:

Click for link

Discussion of Pinkham Way on community web site

Click above

Public Consultation: Sat 12th, Tues 15th and Wed 16th February 2011

Link to PDF of leaflet on NLWA site

"We would like to obtain your views."

Link to North London Waste Plan web site

The Independent: "Recycling centre blaze causes roads chaos"

Link to Independent

"Fire broke out among 1,000 tonnes of waste at Huntingdon Recycling Centre in Ellington, Cambridgeshire.

"Residents who are affected by the smoke are advised to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed."