The North London Waste Plan have declared their consultation period with residents to be over.

The results are summarised in a whopper of a PDF file on their site; you can look at it here.

There are several references to the Blackhorse area including this about residents opinion:

A significant number of respondents expressed specific opposition to the use of the Blackhorse Lane area for new waste facilities because of potential negative impacts on residential amenity, health and the local transport network. In addition, the development of waste facilities in this area is seen by some to be incompatible with the current and proposed future regeneration of the area.

The Walthamstow Independent (14/03/08) featured the continuing row over plans for new waste facilities in the area.

For some reason Walthamstow is to be saddled with half the facilities needed to serve all of North London, with Blackhorse Lane as one site. Plans include a hazardous waste-processing facility, an incinerator, and recycling centres. The locations of each type have not yet been decided.

The article (here) highlights residents concerns that they have not been made aware enough or properly consulted on the plans.

If you have objections or opinions, visit the North London Waste Plan site or email feedback@nlwp.net

On a side note, due to slightly unclear wording the article gave some people the impression that the Blackhorse Action Group is somehow associated with the Socialist party.
The “Resident” that posted a comment about the “socialist cell organising and campaigning behind the cover of the Blackhorse Action Group” can rest easy. We are a residents group with a fully open AGM and are not affiliated with the Socialist (or any other) Party.

Any residents who wish to join visit here, or come along to our social on the 17th May at The Douglas Eyre Pavilion.

Worrying development that undermines the protection of our green belt land…

A government amendment to the Planning Bill could see planning powers transferred from local authorities to Regional Development Agencies(RDAs).

The amendment, tabled by local government minister John Healy, would see RDAs, quangos whose members are appointed by the government and are accountable to the communities secretary, take the final decision on green belt developments.

Eric Pickles, shadow communities secretary, said: “This will put the fate of thousands of acres of green belt into the hands of quangos that are likely to say ‘Yes’.”

Read the whole article here.

Submit your views on climate change to the council via this link and they’ll send you a low energy bulb. You could even win a prize!

The deadline is this Friday, the 15th Feb.

A member points out that the Community Council meeting on the 28 Jan coincides (coincidence?) with a NLWP consultation.

Dear all

In case you haven’t seen the latest copy of WFM, there will be a public workshop at EduAction Conference Centre, Queens Road, E17 between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Monday 28th January about the North London Waste Plan. The purpose of the workshop is to “have your say and find out more” about the North London Waste Plan. Some of you may have seen that Waltham Forest is earmarked for 3 out of 6 waste disposal sites so it should be interesting to go along and find out more about what’s happening with that.

For more info go to www.nlwp.net or to register for a workshop email events@nlwp.net

I’m sure it is no coincidence (!), but the Walthamstow West Community Council meeting is also being held on the same evening - Monday 28th January at 7.15pm at the Chapel End Junior School, Roberts Road, E17 4LS.

thanks,
Cath

We should probably split up and attend both. Email to say which of the two meetings, the Community Council or the NLWP consultation, you’d be able to attend.

If you haven’t seen it already, the Walthamstow Guardian has a piece in it about the Council’s plans to build a new Willowfield School on the playing fields behind Edward Road. A couple of BAG members got themselves quoted, which is nice!

Read the article here.

Hi all,

Since the Council has put the rebuilding of Willowfield School on green belt land back on the agenda, we thought that a reminder of the actual flood risk would be a good idea.

Remember, the Council’s argument is based on the idea that the Douglas Eyre Playing Fields are not as much at risk of flood as had been previously thought; this view is based on historical records, despite warnings from various agencies that flood risk assessments should be revised upwards to take global warming into account.

Take a look at the Environment Agency’s flood map, here.

Ken Livingston wrote a sharp little letter in response to the Walthamstow Guardian’s suggestion that it was Ken who had decided to ram incinerators down our throats. (See original post about it here.)

We’ve made a .pdf file of the page with the letter, which you can read here.

Local residents are on high alert after the announcement that Waltham Forest will become home to three of six new waste processing plants planned for North London. The Walthamstow Guardian confirms that “the types of plants needed include a hazardous waste processing facility and an incinerator, as well as recycling centres.” [see article here]

This is naturally worrying: nobody wants an incinerator in the area. Also, the council has presented the development as a ‘Gateway’ opportunity filled with local amenities, businesses, public spaces, housing and leisure parks - just where (and next to what) would any processing plant go?

Before rushing to the barricades to fight incinerator plans, however, we should remember that it has not been decided what’s going to be put where. According to a comment posted on the Guardian’s article, Archie Onslow of The North London Waste Plan has said that they’re looking into sites for processing/recycling green waste and stuff from the black boxes ie composting / sorting facilities.

The council rushed to assure residents that there will be consultation on the subject. It will start on January 23 and, the council says, “residents will be able to request a copy” (of what, exactly?) by visiting www.nlwp.net or ringing the North London Waste Plan on 020 7974 5916.

The NLWP website has a sort of consultation portal called “Have Your Say” and there is a consultation timetable that promises “formal consultation on issues and options, via [the NLWP] website and public events across the 7 boroughs“. It looks worryingly stage-managed, and it would be nice to know what part our own council will play in all this… As ever, we have to work to make sure that the consultation is genuine and meaningful. Take a look at theNLWP’s consultation guidelines and tell us what you think.

A meeting to discuss policy will be held at the Education Centre on 28th Jan at 6.30pm.

The time scale on this seems long, but you know how time flies: here is the North London Waste Plan’s timetable.

Watch this space!