MP Condemns Further Waste Incinerator Plans

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MP Condemns Further Waste Incinerator Plans

A 2020 GLA report found that the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering have the highest mortality rate attributable to Energy from Waste emissions in London, yet despite this, waste incineration company Cory have applied to expand operations in Belvedere.

Last year a coalition of MPs, councillors, and environmental organisations lost a two-year battle with Cory, which resulted in the government approving plans for a second mass waste incinerator opposite Dagenham and Rainham on the banks of the Thames.

Now the company have applied to the Secretary of State to expand their operation which would mean an extra 65,000 tons of waste being incinerated per year, which Jon Cruddas MP believes will lead to increased emissions and poorer air across the south of his constituency.

Jon Cruddas said: "I cannot in all good conscience allow this application to go unchallenged. All of the recent reports into air quality highlight that we suffer more in east London due to the prevailing wind direction, and in particular as a result of emissions from waste incineration."

This week Jon has written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy regarding the plans, urging the Minister to consider the application and its health implications with great care. The local MP has also called on the Mayor of London and the GLA to oppose the plans.

Jon added: "this application and the one that went before are prime examples of how working-class communities are hit hardest by the governments poor handling of environmental issues. They wouldn't dump a mass waste incinerator in Richmond.

"One of my main concerns is that the applicant is using outdated quotes from Public Health England from 2010-2012 to justify the plans. This seems misleading as Dagenham and Rainham now has the highest rates of poor health linked to waste incineration in London."

The second incinerator known as the ?Riverside Energy Park' is due to be completed and fully operational by 2024. The new application is being referred to as the ?Riverside Optimisation Project'. Full details including the Environmental Impact Assessment can be found here: www.coryenergy.com/news/rop-application

Appeals can be submitted no later than Monday 21 June 2021.