Community business group will oppose plans by writing to Ealing Council

The fight to stop a giant incinerator being placed on the doorstep of Brent residents was given extra impetus last night after a community business group vowed to oppose the plans.

The Harlesden Town Team outlined plans to write to the planning department at Ealing Council, who will be deciding whether or not to give the plans the green light.

The proposed ‘energy recovery centre’ on the Ealing side of the Willesden Junction area, will consist of four 25 metre high chimneys spouting burnt waste and two large tanks for decomposing food.

The Town Team, which is backed by around 2,000 members, agreed to highlight six key areas of concern including heavy traffic congestion and poor air quality at a group meeting.

Leeroy Simpson, chair of the town team, said: “While this may be on Ealing’s land, we as Brent residents can still have a say.

“They say 20 lorries will be coming into the site everyday but they are not accounting for the fact that they will have to leave again.

“If we as an organisation say we agree with the concerns highlighted it will send a strong message.”

The six point objection, originally submitted by Stonebridge councillor, Cllr Zaffar Van Kalwala also noted that the applicant, Clean Power Properties, is also now seeking to process 50 per cent more waste than originally planned.

Colin George, a member of the team and Harlesden resident said: “They don’t deserve planning permission on that site because they have ignored issues residents will face.

“Although somewhere in Park Royal may be appropriate, most Brent residents will be living down wind of the proposed site.”

John Cox, a Stonebridge resident, who is also against the plans said: “You cant expect to be burning that amount of waste and it not to have an affect on the air quality.”

Ealing’s planning committee will decide later this month whether to approve the plans or not.

An Ealing Council spokesman said: “All waste processing developments must abide by environmental licensing conditions, which control the impact of factors such as noise and environmental pollution on the local area.”

The deadline for submitting objections is tonight but the town team insisted they would be objecting both as a whole and as individuals.