Concerns have been raised about plans for a new depot at Pinkham Way.

Barnet Borough Council is considering opening a vehicle depot and waste transfer facility on the site by 2016.

The proposals would have “minimal impact” on people living nearby, it has been claimed.

A Barnet Council spokesman said: “The former Friern Barnet Sewage Works at Pinkham Way is the council's longstanding preferred option for a new depot.

“A planning application is still some way off and the council will obviously consult with local residents, in both Barnet and Haringey, as part of that process.”

Half of the land, which is south of the A406 and adjacent to New Southgate and Muswell Hill, is owned by the council, the other half by the North London Waste authority, which represents seven north London boroughs, including Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. The overall site is under the planning control of Haringey Borough Council.

The current depot is in Bittacy Hill, Mill Hill.

Stephen Brice, chairman of the Pinkham Way Alliance, said: “It’s a valuable green site. To put a waste lorry depot on it is just a ridiculous idea. Barnet is three times the size of Haringey, yet there doesn’t seem to be a piece of spare land within the borough.

“It’s a needless destruction of the site where nature has taken over the site.

“We have to see what the proposals are, but in principle we would fight it as strongly as we have before. There would be a lot of interest.”

The council spokesman insisted: “The land is zoned for industrial use and has direct access to the A406, so would have minimal impact on local residents as vehicles would access the A406 at non-peak times.

“A planning application is still some way off and the council will obviously consult with residents, in both Barnet and Haringey, as part of that process.”

However, Coppetts ward Councillor Reema Patel has also expressed opposition to the plans.

She said: “The word ‘minimal’ is very ambiguous. People have raised concerns about the future plans of the site. They are concerned about transport, as it will have an impact on traffic and not just at peak time.

“It’s an incredibly busy road. I see no evidence that traffic will be adequately managed.

“We have had conversations with residents on the doorstep. I would expect that this will continue to be a very live issue. People want to know what the alternative proposal might be.”

Pinkham Way site has been the subject of a running dispute for the past three years.

In 2011, the NLWA wanted to build a large waste processing plant on the site, which gathered significant opposition from people living nearby.

The plans were eventually scrapped last September.