Pinkham Way Proposed Waste Disposal Centre

Here is a live local issue which could be potentially affecting all of us in areas such as traffic congestion, noise, odour, air quality and with implications for house prices and health.

The proposed site is just off the A406 North Circular Road (“Pinkham Way”). It would effectively fill in the fourth side of the A406 junction with Colney Hatch Lane, the other three being Tesco, the Friern Bridge Retail Park and Power League football centre. Those of you familiar with the junction will know it as one already immensely busy to the extent cars are at times “trapped” in Tesco’s car park.        

You will no longer be able to visit the green space slated for the site since it is now fenced off but you are able to see the residential houses and schools which border it.

Enfield already hosts a major waste disposal complex at Edmonton on the A406 which is one part of the waste disposal infrastructure for the consortium of seven north London Boroughs, called the NLWA, and which includes Enfield, Barnet and Haringey.

There are two parts to the Pinkham Way proposal which by dint of its location will be assessed by Haringey Council.

The first is the proposal by Barnet Council to relocate their bin wagon fleet from their current depot at Mill Hill to Pinkham Way in Haringey. Doing this will allow them to redevelop a more economically valuable site while at the same time getting rid of a noisy, complaint producing, depot. It would play its part in destroying a green environmental area, take their bin wagons out of their Borough and generally increase overall journey distance as a consequence.

The second is the proposed waste processing plant itself. This will be one of Europe’s largest. To put it in some sort of context, the contract with the ultimate provider is being spoken of in terms of £ 4 000 000 000 (four billion pounds).

300 000 (three hundred thousand) tonnes of waste per annum is the weight of black bags which it is suggested will be driven into the site to be  processed, and much processed material then being driven back out again. That sounds like representing enough black bin bags (or wheelie bins) which if piled one on top of the other could reach the Moon, or perhaps Mars. Perhaps some enterprising school could work it out.

Over 1000 (one thousand) trips into and out of the depot / Pinkham Way waste site per day will result, many being heavy vehicles. That is a substantial increase in large vehicles, noise, congestion on an already crowded road, and will also be detrimental to air quality in the vicinity. 

It will be a very large site, complete with a very large chimney stack all the better to ensure emissions are sent effectively into the nearby air.  Interestingly the top of the proposed chimney will lie at the same height as Southgate Green, as one example, which coincidently also lies right in the path of the prevailing wind.  Indeed a lot of South West Enfield looks as if it may have the dubious pleasure of being downwind of the black bag processed odour from the seven boroughs. House prices and health anyone?

Enfield s Councillors, MP and GLA representative are evidently all against the plan but we are only one Borough out of seven. It needs every possible push from everyone who doesn’t think this is such a good idea to help stand a chance of stopping it. What can you do?

Well we could all use less and reuse and recycle more.

We could all let our Councillors and MP know how we feel about the plans, as well as suggesting they put pressure on waste producing organisations such as manufacturers.

We could keep in touch with what is going on. Your Residents Association may have some detail and occasional write to you when some action is appropriate.

Some locals who are affected by the proposal have set up an umbrella group – The Pinkham Way Alliance. This group can steer actions, has a web site rich with information and also is engaging legal support to help the fight of all residents versus some London Boroughs and very large commercial organisations. This is a real David vs Goliath challenge where we need as many David’s - that means YOU - as possible.  Do nothing and we will get one of Europe’s largest waste disposal sites right in the heart of our area and suffer the consequences in congestion, possibly health, almost certainly house prices – oh, and smell too.

So look at their web site www.pinkhamwayalliance.org

Sign up to support. Sign up to get regular e mail updates.

Consider sending them some money because lawyers are not cheap and a little bit from can soon add up. 

Unless you’re planning to move area in the near future this is probably not the issue to acknowledge but ignore. Do something now, many are already or risk losing a hospital and gaining a waste site. You know it makes sense.