Labour’s support of unsuitable plans for a waste site and lorry park at Pinkham Way are revealed today in a damning response from local Liberal Democrats to the North London Waste Plan and in a motion which will be debated at the next Full Council meeting.

Cllr Juliet Solomon has revealed in her response to the consultation on the waste plan that Haringey Council’s Labour administration facilitated the progress of the Pinkham Way development by;

1. Changing the designation of the land from employment to industrial use in November 2010 without full consultation of local residents on the effect of the change. Furthermore, in a motion to the Full Council meeting on 18th July 2011, Liberal Democrats highlight that Labour members on the North London Waste Authority

2. Failed to object formally to the proposals to build a waste facility and depot for Barnet’s waste lorries.

3. The third failure by Labour is the lack of communication by the Council to its residents on the proposals for Pinkham Way which have been progressing for many years.

Liberal Democrats, including Lynne Featherstone, who have spearheaded a campaign against the proposals at Pinkham Way will now call on the Council to write to the Chief Executive of the NLWA to suggest that the plans are withdrawn.

Cllr Juliet Solomon (Alexandra Ward) comments:

“Labour has failed to put residents at the heart of this decision. The secrecy behind the change of land-use last year, the fact that Labour failed to stand up for Haringey in the North London Waste Authority and the lack of communication with local residents are three failures that gave the green light to the Pinkham Way development. Labour must be held to account for their failures.

“The way in which the Pinkham Way plans have dictated the whole North London Waste Plan rather than the plan shaping individual projects seems to be a totally unprincipled way of dealing with planning issues and flies in the face of good practice.

“I hope that the NLWA, the Council and Labour members take note and take action now.”

Lynne Featherstone MP, added:

“I am appalled to find that Labour has so fundamentally failed to stand up for local residents, and given the green light to this development that will blight the area around Pinkham Way and negatively affect thousands of local residents – residents they should represent, not ignore.”