Haringey Council Sign-off Brings North London Waste Plan Closer

The Pinkham Way Site (Google Maps - click image to launch map)

A cross-borough plan to manage north London’s waste took a step forward on Thursday as Haringey became the last council to rubber-stamp the scheme.

The North London Waste Plan (NLWP) is an agreement between seven boroughs that aims to ensure they are able to process the waste they produce up to 2035.

Under the scheme, Barnet, Enfield, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Haringey have identified sites that would be suitable for the construction of a new waste plant. Every local authority has a statutory duty to be self-sufficient in waste disposal and Haringey was required to pit forward a site. 

At Thursday’s extraordinary full council meeting in Haringey, campaigners from the Pinkham Way Alliance urged councillors not to include the site in its submission to the North London Waste Authority.

The site has been designated a site of importance for nature conservation, and PWA chairman Stephen Brice told the meeting it was home to rare species such as slow worms.

But council leader Cllr Joseph Ejiofor warned that if Haringey did not approve the submission, it could set back the whole project – which has already been six years in the making – putting under threat north London’s ability to manage its waste.

Cllr Ejiofor added that there was no current plan for a waste facility at Pinkham Way and any proposals would first have to be approved by the council’s planning committee.

He also confirmed that an incinerator would not be built at the site, and that Pinkham Way would only be used for recycling, composting or waste transfer if a decision was made to bring it into use.