Greece: The Reckoning

(Bonnie Greer)

MRW: "NLWA refutes waste transfer station planning claims"

"The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has refuted claims that it has renewed plans to build a waste transfer station on its Pinkham Way site.

"The authority postponed plans in 2013, in the face of a fierce and sustained campaign from local residents, deciding instead to pursue an alternative based on energy recovery in the Upper Lee Valley.

"Community group the Pinkham Way Alliance has claimed that Barnet Council wants to relocate its six-acre transfer station at Cricklewood to the site (pictured), which is co-owned by NLWA and is close to the North Circular Road.

"The council says any development of the site was the responsibility of the NLWA.

"An NLWA spokesperson told MRW its discussions with Barnet do not involve Pinkham Way but would relocate the rail transfer station at Hendon, due to major redevelopment work in Brent Cross and Cricklewood. It said:

"The authority now has no current plans to develop the Pinkham Way site, assuming we can secure planning permission for the proposed residual waste management facilities at Edmonton.

"We have not taken any action to develop the site since withdrawing our original plans. However, the site will remain an asset for NLWA due to its strategic location and planning designation as a potential employment site."

"Consultation on NLWA’s proposed £450m-£500m recovery facility at Edmonton EcoPark in Enfield closes today (30 June). Comments will be analysed before a finalised scheme is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in the autumn."

[Reposted and updated] No waste plant. North London Waste Authority and LB of Barnet sell land as housing. Sorted.

QUESTIONS TO THE MAYOR

Pinkham Way

Joanne McCartney (17-Jun-2015):

Can you provide me with an update on the investigations into the options for decking or a mini tunnel over the A406 in New Southgate? When do you expect to reach your conclusions?

The Mayor (17-Jun-2015):

Potential options to deck over or tunnel part of the A406 North Circular Road in the vicinity of New Southgate are being considered as part of TfL's response to the Roads Task Force. Following an initial assessment that identified that an intervention at this location had the potential to reduce severance, address congestion, enable alternative uses for surface areas and provide a platform for additional development, TfL is currently further investigating both options. These investigations will culminate in the development of a strategic outline business case in the autumn.

- See more at: http://questions.london.gov.uk/QuestionSearch/searchclient/#sthash.zbz886DF.dpuf

---

Before.
(Well, now.)

 After.
(Note also: no junction of North Circular Road with Bounds Green Road)

"The Mayor of London today [8th February] revealed further details of plans to deliver his bold vision for the future of London’s road network, aimed at reducing congestion, creating new public spaces and encouraging more people to walk and cycle.

"The Mayor, who is in Boston as part of a trade mission to build economic and cultural ties with key cities in the United States, unveiled proposals to redesign a number of key road networks in the capital in order to unlock growth and make the capital a more attractive place to live and work.

The news comes as the Mayor visited the Central Artery-Tunnel Project, also known as the Big Dig, which is recognised as the largest and most complex highway project undertaken in the US. It replaced Boston's deteriorating six-lane elevated Central Artery with an eight lane state-of-the-art underground highway. This resulted in significantly reduced traffic congestion and led to substantial regeneration on the surface and surrounding areas.

The Mayor and TfL have considered more than 70 locations across the capital where the introduction of tunnels, fly-unders and decking could deliver benefits that are in line with the Mayor’s 2050 Infrastructure Plan and the recommendations of the Roads Task Force.

Today the Mayor unveiled five locations which have subsequently been identified as being suitable for further feasibility work by TfL:

• A mini tunnel at the A13 in Barking Riverside – By creating a new tunnel for the A13, a huge amount of land could potentially be opened up for future development whilst reconnecting the Borough of Barking with the new Barking Riverside development, which is the location for just under 11,000 new homes
• Decking of the A3 in Tolworth - By decking over the A3, severance would be reduced and the area adjacent to the proposed Crossrail 2 station would be connected with the rest of the Borough, providing additional land for new homes
• A fly-under at the A316 at Chalkers Corner - A small flyunder would reduce severance and radically improve facilities for cyclists and pedestrians and remove a major pinch point for traffic along the A316
• A fly-under at the A4 in Hammersmith - By replacing the existing viaduct with a new tunnel, the town centre would be reconnected with the River Thames, creating new opportunities for development and open space
• Decking or a mini-tunnel at the A406 in New Southgate - By building over this junction on the North Circular, land would be unlocked for new homes and connect the area around the proposed Crossrail 2 station.

"London’s current Inner Ring Road is facing increasing pressure for change. As he previously set out in the 2050 Infrastructure Plan, the Mayor believes that a replacement ring road, in the form of an inner orbital tunnel or two cross city tunnels, could enable more efficient and reliable vehicle movement. It would also reduce congestion in central London by up to 20 per cent and free up space on the surface which could support the creation of 170,000 additional jobs.

"The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said:

"Rebuilding some of our complex and aging road network underneath our city would not only provide additional capacity for traffic, but it would also unlock surface space and reduce the impact of noise and pollution. I am inspired by what the ambitious people of Boston have achieved here at the Big Dig, both in terms of reducing congestion and how they have dramatically improved the quality of life on the surface. In London we face similar challenges on our roads, but this could also be a fantastic opportunity to better shape our city and support economic growth."

"London is a rapidly growing city with a population expected to reach 10 million by the early 2030s and nearly 11.5 million by 2050. With 24 million journeys already being made by people and freight on the capital’s roads every day, radical steps are going to be needed to tackle growing congestion in the future.

"Funding for such schemes would require new and innovative approaches that enable the positive benefits of each scheme to be captured, including the value generated from new development sites in these areas.

"TfL will now work with local boroughs to progress these proposals further, including working up more detailed costs and possible funding options and an indicative programme of delivery if funding can be secured. This further analysis will be presented to the Mayor in May.

"Today [8th February] the Mayor met with Frank DePaola, Highway Administrator and Chief Operating Officer at Massachusetts Department of Transportation and was given a tour of the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a mile-and-a-half of contemporary parks in the heart of Boston which was made possible after the elevated highway was relocated underground. This enabled some of Boston’s oldest neighbourhoods to be reconnected by parkland."

---

"The Mayor of London Boris Johnson is leading a trade mission [free jolly] to America's East Coast aimed at strengthening economic and cultural ties between London and the United States. [Seen my ghost-written book on Churchill?] During the six-day visit, the Mayor will meet with senior public officials and top business leaders in Boston, New York City and Washington, in a bid to ensure that London remains a key destination for US investment and American tourists and students. [Is Cameron still around? Lightweight.] The Mayor wants to build on the warm relations that already exist with the States and to consolidate healthy collaborations between London and these three major cities." [Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. Aarff.]

Theresa Villers: "Villiers backs new waste plant in Edmonton"

Saturday, 6 June, 2015

"Following a visit to the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) incinerator in Advent Way in Edmonton, Theresa Villiers MP has urged her Chipping Barnet constituents to back the NLWA’s proposals for a replacement waste facility there. During the visit, she was briefed on the project by NLWA managing director, David Beadle, and was given a tour of the waste incineration plant.

"Theresa Villiers said:

"I wanted to visit the NLWA incinerator at Edmonton because it processes rubbish from my Chipping Barnet constituency and the other north London boroughs. It has been in operation for 45 years, diverting 21m tonnes of waste from landfill; and it it is likely to come to the end of its life with about 10 years.”

I received a useful briefing from NLWA on their plans for a replacement facility. I pressed them to ensure that any new facilities include the best and newest technology to minimise pollution because of the serious health problems poor air quality cause for people with respiratory conditions. I also urged them to remove the Pinkham Way site from any waste processing plans for the future.”

The debate about how to replace the Edmonton incinerator has been underway for some years. I campaigned strongly against proposals for that replacement to include waste processing at Pinkham Way because of the negative impact that would have had on nearby residents. For the moment, those proposals for Pinkham Way have been defeated and NLWA confirmed to me today that they have no current plans to revive them. But Pinkham Way is still owned by NLWA* and the threat hasn’t been lifted altogether. If their new facility at Edmonton gets the go ahead, I believe NLWA are highly unlikely to revive their Pinkham Way proposals.”

So I am supporting the new plant at Edmonton and I am urging my constituents to do the same. If Edmonton goes ahead, it is likely that we will see the threat to Pinkham Way lifted altogether."

"The North London Waste Authority is currently conducting its second public consultation on its plans for their Edmonton site – the North London Heat and Power Project. This consultation is open until 30 June. You can have your say by emailing info@northlondonheatandpower.london or by writing to Freepost Heat and Power."

---

* Having been purchased in a secret and therefore corrupt deal with LB of Barnet. where the public was excluded from the Cabinet meeting.

NLWA: North London Heat and Power Incinerator

Who is NLWA?

NLWA arranges the disposal of waste collected by the seven London boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest. With local councils they encourage and promote the three messages of reduce, re-use and recycle through waste prevention work in the community. 

NLWA and the seven boroughs in the area have agreed a joint target for north London to aim for at least 50 per cent of its waste to be recycled by 2020.

What is this about?

North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has unveiled further details of the North London Heat and Power Project – a replacement for the Edmonton Energy from Waste facility in the London Borough of Enfield. The current facility has served north London for 45 years and has diverted 21 million tonnes of waste from landfill, but is due to reach the end of its life in around 10 years.

The replacement facility would be efficient, modern and provide heat for local homes and businesses. It could also be one of the best performing in Europe.

Using fuel – waste collected by the seven boroughs which cannot be recycled - the replacement facility would generate power for around 127,000 homes and could provide heat for local homes and businesses. Heat would be distributed locally through schemes like Enfield Council’s planned Lee Valley Heat Network.

Why We Are Consulting

NLWA consulted on their outline proposals from 30 November 2014 to 27 January 2015.  Now they are consulting on further details and are keen to hear your thoughts on the proposals. You can see what's planned by visiting www.northlondonheatandpower.london.

How you can get Involved

NWLA are keen to hear your views. Please take the time to read the consultation document.
You are also invited to attend one of their exhibitions at the following venues:

Lee Valley Athletics Centre

61 Meridian Way, London, Edmonton,

London N9 0AR

Wednesday 3 June 2015, 12:00 – 18:00

Friday 12 June 2015, 17:00 – 21:00

 

Oasis Academy Hadley

South Street, Enfield EN3 4PX

Friday 5 June, 17:00 – 21:00

Saturday 13 June, 10:00 – 16:00

 

The Artzone

Edmonton Green Shopping Centre,

54 The Market Square, London N9 0TZ

Saturday 6 June 2015, 12:00 – 18:00

Tuesday 9 June 2015, 16:00 – 21:00

 

Parkside Primary School

82 Peel Close, Chingford, London E4 6XQ

Wednesday 10 June, 16:00 – 20:00

 

Neighbourhood Resource Centre

177 Park Lane, Northumberland Park,

London N17 0HJ

Thursday 11 June, 16:00 – 20:00

Please also take the time to read the NLWA Newsletter and send your comments in writing by:
• completing a feedback form on the website www.northlondonheatandpower.london
• emailing to info@northlondonheatandpower.london
• Freepost: FREEPOST HEAT AND POWER 

The Guardian: "Shell accused of strategy risking catastrophic climate change"

Link to web site

"Royal Dutch Shell has been accused of pursuing a strategy that would lead to potentially catastrophic climate change after an internal document acknowledged a global temperature rise of 4C, twice the level considered safe for the planet.

"A paper used for guiding future business planning at the Anglo-Dutch multinational assumes that carbon dioxide emissions will fail to limit temperature increases to 2C, the internationally agreed threshold to prevent widespread flooding, famine and desertification.

"Instead, the New Lens Scenarios document refers to a forecast by the independent International Energy Agency (IEA) that points to a temperature rise of up to 4C in the short term, rising later to 6C."

---

The real story behind 
Shell's climate change rhetoric

The Independent: "Bladeless wind turbines generate electricity by shaking, not spinning"

Link to web site

"Scientists hope to hugely reduce the cost of wind energy by removing the blades from wind farms, instead taking advantage of a special phenomenon to cause the turbines to violently shake.

"Vortex, a startup from Spain, has developed the tall sticks known as Bladeless — white poles jutting out of the ground, that are built so that they can oscillate. They do so as a result of the way that the wind is whipped up around them, using a phenomenon that architects avoid happening to buildings and encouraging it so that the sticks shake."

Mon 11 May: Brent Cross meeting

The Guardian: "World's mountain of electrical waste reaches new peak of 42m tonnes"

"The biggest per-capita tallies were in countries known for green awareness, such as Norway and Denmark, with Britain fifth and US ninth on the UN report’s list"

Link to web site

"A record amount of electrical and electronic waste was discarded around the world in 2014, with the biggest per-capita tallies in countries that pride themselves on environmental consciousness, a report said.

"Last year, 41.8m tonnes of so-called e-waste – mostly fridges, washing machines and other domestic appliances at the end of their life – was dumped, the UN report said.

"That's the equivalent of 1.15m heavy trucks, forming a line 23,000km (14,300 miles) long, according to the report, compiled by the United Nations University, the UN’s educational and research branch."

The Guardian: "Global warming and drought are turning the Golden State brown"

"Another study finds that drought will hit California hard as the planet keeps warming"

Link to web site

"There's a rapidly growing body of scientific research finding that California is in the midst of its worst drought in over a millennium, global warming has made the drought worse, and decades-long mega-droughts could become the norm in the state later this century. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) by scientists at Stanford University adds to this bleak picture for the Golden State.

There has been some confusion about the human contribution to California's drought, now entering its fourth consecutive year, because some reports have said that humans have not influenced the amount of precipitation falling in the state thus far. This is a subject of debate – some studies have found evidence of a human 'fingerprint' in the high pressure ridge that's diverted storms away from California over the past three years. But overall, while precipitation has been low, there have been a few years in the historical record where it was lower.

The Guardian: "The future of waste: five things to look for by 2025"

Link to web site

"The European Commission recently backtracked on an ambitious set of legislative promises on waste and recycling, including the phasing out of using landfill for recyclable rubbish and a commitment to cut food waste by 30% by 2025.

"Nation states and businesses had cried foul, claiming the targets were too exacting. Such lacklustre foot-dragging is sadly typical. So what disruptive measures might shake up the waste industry and trash the pessimism of those who fail to reform?"

Sun 8 Mar: Barnet's Car Crisis (More roads or what?)

BBC: "A time capsule of the BBC at Alexandra Palace?"

Zoom into the web site

"Almost 80 years ago, the world's first regular television service was launched by the BBC from Alexandra Palace in north London - known as Ally Pally. Those original studios have lain empty since the last programme-makers left in 1981. Now a £27m plan to turn them into a visitor attraction is sparking controversy.

"... Today those old studios are derelict and an asbestos-ridden safety risk. But the trust that runs the palace and its surrounding park has an ambitious £26.7m refurbishment plan which would see the theatre brought back into use and the old studios turned into a BBC Experience, a visitor attraction celebrating Ally Pally's central role in the development of television broadcasting. The plan has the support of the BBC, and a provisional £19.4m in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"But first the trust has to to get planning permission on Monday from Haringey Council, which also happens to be the palace's ultimate owner. And it has to overcome the opposition of campaigners, who believe the plans for the old studios would mean destroying the very things that make the palace so special."

Enfield Independent: "Edmonton waste plant consultation ends"

Link to web site

"The first phase of consultation on a new waste facility in Edmonton has ended.

"The North London Waste Authority want to build a new, more efficient energy recovery facility on the same site as the current Edmonton Incinerator off Advent Way, Edmonton.

"After 61 days of consultation, more than 40 hours of public exhibitions and more than 3,000 visitors to its website, the first phase of consultation on the North London Heat and Power Project has now closed."

Ham & High: "Barnet Council paid lawyer £16k to investigate its legal failings"

Link to web site

"Barnet Council was forced to pay more than £16,000 for an independent lawyer to investigate legal failings which led to one of its most senior directors stepping down.

"A request from the Ham&High under the Freedom of Information Act has revealed the council paid £16,200 to Claer Lloyd-Jones & Associates Ltd last year.

"Ms Lloyd-Jones was enlisted by Barnet Council chief executive Andrew Travers to investigate the circumstances surrounding a series of erroneous reports produced for the annual council meeting on June 2 last year."

Mon 2 Feb: University of Nottingham: "Shale Gas and Fracking: the Politics and Science"

"Hear from all sides of the fracking debate with this free online course. Understand what shale gas is and why it divides opinion"

"Shale gas is seen by many as a cheap, clean and plentiful source of energy; a low-carbon ‘game changer’ helping us meet the world’s rapidly growing demands for energy and offering greater energy security. Its rapid rise has not been without controversy, however. Earth tremors, surface and groundwater contamination, and the effects of fracking on human and animal health are all high profile concerns.

"During this four-week course, we’ll study the politics, economics, and science of shale gas. We’ll examine how shale gas was formed, and how we extract it through hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’. We will look at the impact of shale gas on energy markets and energy security."

The Guardian: "London transport enters year of big unknowns"

"With uncertainty over funding, rising traffic levels and a mayor whose attention might be wandering, 2015 could be a tricky year for transport in the capital"

Link to web site

"The London New Year has brought the annual delight of an increase in public transport fares. These include the price of single bus journeys being hiked to the symbolic height of £1.50. Ten years ago, using Oyster, these cost just £1. Yet 2015’s increase is one of the gentler adjustments of recent times. The average rise is 2.5% compared with the inflation-plus new tariffs Boris Johnson has previously introduced.

"Daily caps on pay-as-you-go fares have been lowered to help some of those many Londoners with part-time jobs or unpredictable work patterns. Such blessings may seem small in the greater scheme of things. But maybe we should enjoy them while they last.

"The next twelve months will be a journey into uncertainty for the capital’s transport chiefs. The biggest doubt will be about the Treasury’s money stream. By autumn the next public spending review will be underway, including decisions about funding for Transport for London (TfL) until (probably) 2020. What species of government will be in charge? How long will it last for? And how will the mayor be passing his time by then?"

BBC: "New EU energy rules for TVs and other household gadgets"

Link to web site

"European Union rules will oblige new networked devices such as modems and internet-connected televisions to switch themselves off when not in use.

"Many gadgets are connected to the internet 24/7, using 25-100 watts while their owners sleep.

"But new devices sold from Thursday will fall to sleep, using a trickle of power when they are not in use.

"The European Commission said the move would save an average household about £32 a year.

"The change is part of the EU's Ecodesign initiative, which aims to cut costs, improve competitiveness and reduce carbon emissions."