Introduction

Welcome to the first in a series of newsletters to keep you up to date with progress on the North London Waste Plan (NLWP). The NLWP will set out the planning framework for waste management in the London boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest for the next 15 years. It will identify sites for waste management use and set out policies for determining waste planning applications. A previous version of the NLWP was submitted to an Inspector in 2012 who concluded that the plan failed to meet the Duty to Co‐operate which came into force during the final stages of the plan making process. Boroughs have agreed to start work on a new waste plan in order to be able to meet the duty to co-operate.

Timetable

Launch Consultation April to June 2013

Consultation on Scoping Report for Sustainability Appraisal 3rd June to 9th July 2014

Consultation on draft plan January to March 2015

Consultation on proposed submission plan November to December 2015

Submission March 2016 Public hearings July 2016

Inspector’s report October 2016

Adoption February 2017

What we have done

During April – June 2013 we consulted on what you would like to see in the NLWP. The report of the launch consultation is available. We have prepared a Consultation Protocol setting out our approach to communication during preparation of the NLWP. We have been gathering an evidence base to support the plan. This includes a data study on north London waste arisings, existing sites, current capacity, cross-boundary waste movements and projections of future waste arisings under a number of different scenarios. We have sent letters to all authorities to which north London exports waste. As part of the duty to cooperate, there will be an ongoing dialogue with these authorities to ensure that current and future waste movements can be understood and planned for. We have written to operators of existing waste management facilities in north London to invite them to nominate their site if they have aspirations to extend and wish the site to be considered as part of work on the NLWP. We are holding three focus group sessions for key stakeholders to discuss specific topics relating to the production of the NLWP and test emerging approaches. Membership is taken from a broad cross section of stakeholders including statutory bodies, waste industry, special interest groups and residents groups. We have revamped and brought up to date our website, www.nlwp.net, and introduced new features such as Frequently Asked Questions.

Sustainability Appraisal

Planning law requires local authorities to demonstrate that their plans are sustainable by undertaking a ‘sustainability appraisal’ (SA). The purpose of the SA is to promote sustainable development through the integration of sustainability considerations into the preparation, adoption and implementation of the NLWP. It involves the identification and evaluation of the social, environmental and economic impacts of the plan. The first stage in the SA process is the production of a ‘Scoping Report for Sustainability Appraisal’ which sets the context and provides baseline information in order to provide a starting point from which to appraise the effects of implementing the NLWP. The Scoping Report for Sustainability Appraisal has been issued for a 5-week period of consultation which will run from 3rd June 2014 to 9th July 2014. All comments received during the consultation period will be taken into account when finalising the Scoping Report. An updated version of the Scoping Report will then be made available at www.nlwp.net.

What we are planning to do next

We are consulting on the Scoping Report for Sustainability Appraisal. We will publish a report on the outcomes from the Focus Groups on the NLWP website and use it to develop the draft Plan. We will be further developing the evidence base for the plan and revising the data study. Following our work writing to existing waste management operators, we will be issuing a ‘Call for Sites’ where we will invite nominations for new waste management facilities so that they can be considered as part of work on the NLWP. We will be considering the most suitable sites for the waste facilities we need. We will prepare the draft Plan over the summer ready for consultation early in 2015.

Contact Us

If you would like to go on our mailing list and receive news and information on the NLWP please contact us: email: feedback@nlwp.net NLWP Programme manager – Archie Onslow tel: 020 7974 5916 Mail: North London Waste Plan, LB Camden Culture & Environment Town Hall, Argyle Street, London, WC1H 8EQ. Website: www.nlwp.net