Earlier this week, the North London Waste Authority (NWLA) submitted a planning application to Haringey Council to build a waste disposal facility at Pinkham Way, just off the North Circular.
Many of my constituents have contacted me about this issue, and whilst supportive of overall objectives for reducing landfill and increasing recycling, I am convinced that Pinkham Wood is simply the wrong location for a waste disposal plant - and the residents who live around the boundary of the site and use the roads on a daily basis strongly agree.
A major concern is the potential impact of hundreds of extra lorry journeys into and out of the site each day. For years, this section of the North Circular has had serious traffic problems, particularly at the Colney Hatch junction, with frequent congestion and long delays on the Tesco slip road. Adding to the problem, vehicles coming in and out of the Pinkham Wood site would have to do a loop via the bridge across the North Circular and Retail Park slip road.
While the NLWA claim that the extra vehicles will have little impact on traffic in the area and have outlined plans to limit the number of vehicles using the roads at peak times, I continue to believe that the additional lorries will make the congestion much worse, both for local people and for drivers from across London who use this stretch of the A406.
I am also concerned that thousands of extra vehicle journeys could worsen air quality. There is clear scientific evidence that poor air quality has a detrimental impact on public health, particularly for those suffering from asthma and other respiratory problems.
I know many residents are worried that if the development goes ahead, an incinerator could be added to the site in the future. I very much welcome the statement from the NLWA that their plans do not include an incinerator. I will continue to strongly oppose any suggestion that an incinerator be added to the proposals for Pinkham Way.
I accept that NLWA is making efforts to mitigate the impact of their plans, but there is no getting away from the fact that they want to bring in 300,000 tonnes of waste from across several boroughs to be processed on the doorstep of thousands of residential properties. I feel this could have a seriously detrimental impact on the quality of life of many of my constituents.
Over the next few weeks, Haringey Council, as the local planning authority, will consult with local residents and businesses as well as organisations such as the Environment Agency and Transport for London. Barnet residents will also have the opportunity to make representations to the Barnet Planning and Environment Committee, who will put these forward to the Haringey Planning Committee. I will be opposing the planning application and I urge residents to take part in the process as well and make their views known.
PUBLIC MEETING
If you too oppose these plans, please come to a public meeting at Broomfield School, Wilmer Way N14 7HY at 7pm on Friday 17th June 2011.
In the meantime, you can keep up-to-date with news on the campaign being run by local residents by visiting www.pinkhamwayalliance.org