CONCERNED residents gathered on Friday night for a rally against plans for a major new waste plant in Bounds Green.

Opposition is growing to the Pinkham Way proposals which could see Europe's largest waste plant built on the doorsteps of residents from Barnet, Enfield and Haringey.

At a rally on Friday night attended by more than 300 people, concerns about traffic congestion, noise and pollution were among the objections to the proposals from the North London Waste Authority.

David Burrowes, MP for Enfield Southgate, who organised the meeting at Broomfield School, told the crowd: “This is a community campaign, across boroughs, involving councils and councillors, and we all need to be involved very much to ensure we do what we can to stop this development.”

Leading opposition to the plans is residents' group the Pinkham Way Alliance, which has already begun exploring legal challenges to the proposed plant.

Peter Storey, a leading member of the alliance, said: “The building is intended to be 70ft high, and on top of the huge great building they also want a 70ft chimney.”

He added: “I'm certain if we don't manage to stop this thing, we will be seeing it on a daily basis – it will be right in our faces.”

The proposed plant will sit on the side of the North Circular, and much of Friday's discussion centred on potential traffic congestion from an added 560 trucks a day using the A406 to access the £100 million plant.

The waste authority, which handles rubbish disposal for Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Islington, Waltham Forest, Hackney and Camden, has written to residents around the site to try to explain their plans in more detail following complaints of lack of consultation.

The authority says the plant, which will handle 300,000 tonnes of rubbish a year, is essential for the region to meet European Union targets for environmentally friendly waste disposal.

But residents at the meeting argued it was the wrong site for a new plant, blighting the surrounding areas including soon-to-be rebuilt Ladderswood Estate and causing gridlock on the A406.

Councillor Achilleas Georgiou, deputy leader of Enfield Council and Labour representative for Bowes ward, called for residents to go to Barnet Council which is backing the plans and tell them they have “made a mistake”.

Responding to a request from John Parker, chairman of Friern Village Residents' Association, Mr Burrowes agreed to raise the issue of large waste disposal sites being built in residential areas in the House of Commons.

The meeting concluded with a call for residents to bombard Haringey councillors on the planning committee – who will decided whether to grant planning permission - with letters of objection to the plans.

More information on the Pinkham Way Alliance's activities can be found at www.pinkhamwayalliance.org. The planning application submitted by NLWA will soon be published by Haringey Council on its website.