Last October, Haringey’s Regulatory Committee, under its remit to examine complex planning issues, considered the draft North London Waste Plan (NLWP). After reading and hearing evidence from PWA, and questioning officers, a cross-party majority of members, unwhipped, recommended to Cabinet that the Pinkham Way site be removed from the plan. To put it very mildly, this decision sent Council dovecotes a-flutter. The Cabinet meeting scheduled for a few days later was postponed for two months to ‘give time to line up support’. Cabinet members made alarmist and wholly inaccurate comments that Haringey would be forced to prepare its own waste plan if it didn’t approve the NLWP (ie if it exercised its right to remove the site). When the matter finally came to Full Council on January 31st, the Council could only ensure approval by whipping Labour members. So what did that meeting actually approve? One thing only, that the draft plan should be sent forward for a six-week public consultation that’ll begin shortly. Later this year or early in 2020, an independent Planning Inspector will examine the NLWP’s soundness. It goes without saying, of course, that anyone has the right to make a response to the consultation. For those who don’t wish to, PWA will as usual prepare its own submission, which, under a long-standing agreement with the NLWP, we’ll invite you to support after studying detailed bullets of the main points. If you’re making your own response, you’re more than welcome to use these if you feel they’re helpful. To study the NLWP documents, please go to: http://www.nlwp.net/document-centre/