Tag Archives: waste

Fly-tipping

We have recently persuaded Barnet Council to provide a No Fly-tipping sign in Mendip Drive. It  should be installed soon.

If you see anyone dumping waste in our streets, please do let the Council know as soon as possible:

  • Do not approach the person. Keep safe!
  • Make a note of the vehicle registration number, date and time.
  • Report it.

Barnet Council will take action against anyone found to be fly-tipping within Barnet under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 for which there is an unlimited fine and possible imprisonment.

Donoghue and the NLWP

Our efforts to relocate Donoghue continue.

GGERA represented the community at the NLWP Examination Hearings on Wednesday 20th November and Thursday 21st November.

As explained on the NLWP web site, the North London Waste Plan (NLWP) sets out the planning framework for waste management in the North London Boroughs for the next 15 years. It will identify sites for waste management use and set out policies for determining waste planning applications. It has the potential to affect us all in this area if – as planned – Donoghue’s site is included as a safeguarded waste site.

We made representations to the NLWP draft consultation that took place earlier this year. An inspector was appointed to conduct the examination to determine if the plan is sound. We believe it is not because:

  • No one who is directly affected by Donoghue’s was engaged in the process or was consulted during the consultation.
  • Donoghue’s site is considered an existing protected waste site; however, it is in the wrong location because it is surrounded by residential, community and educational facilities. Additionally Donoghue’s business operations have outgrown its site.
  • Handley Grove and the youth homeless shelter residents that immediately neighbour Donoghue have been living in agony for years and their health and well-being have been affected. They and other many people affected by Donoghue cannot wait until 2026 or later for its relocation!
  • The site is not operated sustainably, generating too many unnecessary lorry journeys and polluting the air we breathe.
  • Our local council has spent too much taxpayer’s money to bring this business into compliance and to repair the damage caused by its heavy fleet on our roads, while our children’s schools and public services are suffering drastic cuts.
  • We would like to have the site’s safeguarded status removed and Barnet to commit to its relocation in collaboration with the North London Waste Authority as an urgent matter.

Why Donoghue’s Relocation Cannot Wait

1) It is in everyone’s interest.

  • Donoghue wants to move as the site is too small.
  • Both Barnet and the North London Waste Authority (NLWA) require a fully functional waste management plant to cope with present and future demand.
  • Residents and businesses cannot wait.

2) The site is inadequate for waste management for Barnet and the NLWA.

  • It is too small to properly manage the current volume of waste.
  • The site has no space for the number of HGVs transporting waste and so there is an overflow onto Claremont Road.
  • The site is not coping with current waste needs and will not be able to cope with any additional demand from the Brent Cross Regeneration.

3) The site is in the wrong location and puts at risk our most vulnerable. 

  • The area around Donoghue has changed in the last 40 years and is predominantly residential.
  • The site is blocked to the west by the railway; its only point of access is on Claremont Road. Along this road there are 3 schools (a primary, a secondary and a special needs), 2 playgroups, a nursing home for the elderly, a post office sorting office, 2 churches and a community hall. 4 bus routes also use this road.
  • Donoghue shares fences with a young person’s homeless centre, a social housing development and a children’s playground.

4) The quality of the air we breathe is a hazard to our health. 

  • According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), “Regularly breathing construction dust can cause diseases like lung cancer, asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and silicosis. These diseases cause permanent disability and early death. Over 500 construction workers are believed to die from exposure to silica dust every year.”
  • Alex Chown, the Environment Agency’s Area Environment Manager for North London, responding to our concern about the amount of dust in the area, said that what we cannot see is the bigger problem. The visible and invisible dust we all breathe is a hazard to our health.

5) The intensity of use harms our neighbourhood. 

  • This is against national, local and NLWA policies that aim to protect local amenities.
  • In order to prevent this, Donoghue would need to significantly scale down.

6) Our roads cannot cope with the additional load.

  • HGVs are getting bigger, heavier and significantly increasing in number.
  • It is unjustifiable for the Council to spend taxpayers’ money to keep this one business under control and to repair road damages partly caused by its overloading and intensity of use.
  • The Vale repairs alone are estimated to cost over £240,000. We would rather see this money invested in our children’s future.

7) Children need protection. 

  • Children have been speaking up against climate change. Local schools encourage them to walk and cycle to and from school.
  • Lack of action from Barnet Council and the NLWA sends a mixed and wrong message, as it exposes children to very high levels of pollution and terrifying road safety risks.
  • Please do not wait for an accident or casualty before the relocation of Donoghue is taken seriously.