Councillors had been locked in discussions over the future of the site throughout the summer after the authority abandoned plans to pursue a £3 billion long-term waste treatment contract.
The Edmonton site has housed the 550,000 tonnes-per-year capacity energy-from-waste plant since the early 1970s, which is due to reach the end of its operational life in 2025 from which point the NLWA intends for the new facility to take over the treatment of North London’s residual waste.
The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) is the UK’s second largest waste disposal authority and handles waste disposal on behalf of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest councils. Some 1.7 million residents live in the NLWA area.
Plans are in place for a new plant to be built on land adjacent to the existing EfW facility which currently houses a composting site and a waste transfer station. Once the new plant, which will have a similar capacity to the current facility, is fully operational, the old plant will be decommissioned.
NLWA is due to launch the first of two public consultations on its plans for the future of the site from next week (November 27). The first phase of consultation will run until the end of January, and asks householders and businesses located close to the site for their views on how the new plant should be developed.
A second consultation will then run in May when more detailed plans will be outlined by the Authority.
Construction
Construction of the new plant is expected to begin in 2022 should the NLWA meet its proposed timetable.
Commenting on the plans, councillor Clyde Loakes, chair of the NLWA, said: “We are going to set the benchmark with this project: we want the best technology available when it comes to air quality, the best design available in terms of how it looks, and best of all, in my opinion, is we’re going to be able to heat people’s homes for many years to come.
“This is planning ahead. This replacement facility will still be heating homes when young Prince George is in his 40s.”
At present maintaining control of emissions from the site is more challenging than at newer energy from waste plants , with more manual controls needed. NLWA intends for the plant to “set a benchmark” for similar projects in the UK and Europe on controlling emissions, and has set a target for it to come in around 60% below current permissible emissions limits.
The site is already earmarked for use as a waste management site by the Mayor of London and Enfield council, but due to the amount of energy it will generate NLWA must submit an application for a Development Consent Order to the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate will then make a recommendation to the government as to whether the plans should be approved or not.
Councillor Loakes added: “This is a very prescriptive planning process set out by the government for projects like these. We will use this process to ensure we get the best project for north London.”
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