'Pinkham Way Incinerator' is dedicated to planning, transport and the environment, particularly about the area where the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Enfield meet.
Obviously, the Pinkham Way Waste Plant is the most important current issue - more on that in a moment!
However, we have also been campaigning to introduce an east-west light-rail line across outer north London, joining all the north-south tube and Underground lines.
All the transport strategy documents of the outer London boroughs mention the difficulty of 'orbital travel', and the chronic road congestion - likely to get much worse with London's rising population.
All the transport strategy documents of the outer London boroughs mention the difficulty of 'orbital travel', and the chronic road congestion - likely to get much worse with London's rising population.
The 'North and West London Light Railway' is an example of such a project, subsidised by 'planning gain' from north London's development areas. It has been endorsed in principle, unanimously, at full council meetings in Ealing, Brent and Harrow. There is more information on the 'Brent Cross Coalition' web site.
Such a proposal could be extended east from Finchley Central, perhaps using the North Circular Road corridor, into Enfield and Haringey, to eventually reach the Lea Valley. Please contact us for further information.
Now, back to the main plot ...
We all produce domestic waste, and we have a responsibility to think about how to minimise it, and how to deal with it! The 'North London Waste Plan' is an amalgam of the seven north London boroughs' planning departments. There is a small secretariat in Camden Town Hall. It has devised policies to manage waste, and chosen possible sites within the seven boroughs, for the future.
The 'North London Waste Authority' is a local authority (just like the boroughs), and is responsible for the disposal (as opposed to the collection) of domestic waste, and some other waste. It also promotes (to give it its due) "reuse, recycling and reduction" of waste - at least to some extent.
This web site started in late 2009, following public consultation on the 'Draft North London Waste Plan', and has been monitoring the intentions of the NLWP, the NLWA and the Borough of Barnet, for Pinkham Way. We are happy to include any campaigning material from anyone, as well as continuing to publicise 'general information', and related items about planning, transport, and the environment. Please add comments, or email other material.
This web site's only 'editorial line' (which you are welcome to challenge) is to avoid incineration of domestic waste (it now has new names, like gasification). And that means fighting approval of waste incineration anywhere in Britain - not just "in our backyard". Please see the 'UKWIN' web site for our arguments.
In our view, the intention to create incinerator fuel at Pinkham Way is just as bad as actually burning the stuff here. Whatever sites the NLWA uses across the seven London boroughs, after PROPER public consultation, it should just 'stabilise' residual waste (after removing extra recyclables, and composting the organics) so that landfill:
- reduces in quantity year-by-year,
- is relatively clean, and
- generates no gases.
The boroughs have to pay 'Land-fill Tax', which was introduced to divert waste away from land-fill. However, instead of campaigning and moving strongly towards waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting, politicians have tried, in addition, to choose a technical fix - promoting new-style incinerators.
At Pinkham Way, the NLWA owns the freehold of its part of the site (Barnet council still owns the rest). It has stated that it will apply for outline planning permission for a waste depot, jointly with Barnet Council. The latter wants to build a dustcart lorry park there, so it can sell its current land in Mill Hill East for housing. The application will be made to the Planning Authority for the land, which is Haringey.
If Haringey were to approve outline planning permission, then actual use of the Pinkham Way site would be determined by which contract for the next 25-35 years the NLWA signs, with a single company, for the whole seven-borough area. That contract is worth about £4-billion pounds! There are five companies on the 'incinerator fuel production' short-list (and another five on the separate 'incinerator' short-list).
It is our view that such a single main contract will be so inflexible, that the public will suffer financially (in their council tax) and environmentally (because it will hold back more ambitious waste reduction and recycling by a generation). We believe that multiple, smaller contracts, with greater democratic control, must replace it.
Finally, it would seem worthwhile, trying to separate the NLWA planning application from the Barnet planning application. They do not HAVE to be taken together! People would be able to give their views on a fleet of diesel dustcarts on their doorstep, separately from their worries about an incinerator fuel production plant.
Remember that the dustcarts do not HAVE to move from Mill Hill East, or if they do (because Barnet wants to sell the land for housing) the borough could find somewhere else - IN BARNET!
Please see more information at the
UKWIN
web site, and the
Coalition for a Brent Cross Cricklewood Redevelopment.
Or return to the
Home Page (see all posts)
UKWIN
web site, and the
Coalition for a Brent Cross Cricklewood Redevelopment.
Or return to the
Home Page (see all posts)
