Preliminary Planning Inspectorate Meeting - 'Riverside Energy Park'

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Preliminary Planning Inspectorate Meeting - 'Riverside Energy Park'

Today, representatives of Jon Cruddas MP attended a Preliminary Planning Inspectorate Meeting in Erith, Kent to discuss procedures regarding Riverside Energy Park in Belvedere, Bexley.

At the end of last year, Cory Environmental Holdings Limited applied to the Planning Inspectorate to build a ?Riverside Energy Park'. The facility will produce over 96 megawatts of electricity through the mass incineration of waste. Due to the scale of the proposal the final decision will be taken by the Secretary of State.

Today's meeting outlined the timescale for the application and was attended by ?Interested Parties' who registered to make representation as part of the examination process (altogether, 90 Independent Parties registered their interest).

Jon Cruddas MP requested an ?open floor' hearing to be held during the next stage of procedures to give members of the community the chance to have their say and put across their concerns. Today, this was agreed. The exact time and location are to be confirmed.

Other points raised by the MPs team included the question of how Cory Environmental Holdings proposal fits in with not only the London Plans but also Local Development Plans, referring especially to the London Riverside Opportunity Area (Beam Park) which will see thousands of new homes built by 2022.

A recent report from the British Lung Foundation highlighted that the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has the highest annual rate of lung disease related deaths in London. Havering has the fourth highest rate and Bexley seventh. For thousands of new and existing residents plans to build an incinerator with the highest concentration of harmful emissions in the country is something that also needs to be considered. Jon's team raised this concern.

At the end of April Jon Cruddas MP will be visiting the current incinerator to meet with Cory Environmental Holdings Ltd.

If you haven't signed Jon's petition yet calling on the Secretary of State to reject this proposal you can do so here: https://joncruddas.org.uk/belvedere-incinerator-petition