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Waste depot switch blocked by backlash
Council under fire over Southwark refuse proposal
TOWN Hall environment bosses are at the centre of a major row over relocating a new refuse depot to Southwark.
The council wants to move 70 refuse vehicles – 50 dustcarts and 20 other street-cleaning vehicles – from its current site in Deptford to a larger depot in Southwark. Present facilities are unsuitable because the borough’s waste management contract is currently out to tender, and, should it be awarded to another company, the council would need to find an alternative site.
But proposals that were due to be signed off last week were abandoned at the last minute because of a groundswell of opposition from people living near the site.
More than 1,000 people signed a petition against using the depot for refuse vehicles, claiming it would besiege the area with traffic, noise and smells.
Councillors on Southwark’s planning committee have postponed any decision until they have visited the Mandela Way site – currently a bus garage owned by Westminster.
Leader of the Westminster Labour group, Paul Dimoldenberg said: “It is typical of Westminster Conservatives to try to export problems elsewhere – homeless people are already shunted off to east London and now refuse vehicles are parked in south London. When are Westminster Conservatives going to face up to their responsibility of finding local solutions to these issues?”
Mark Banks, Westminster City Council’s waste strategy manager, said: “The proposed alternative site for the vehicle park at Mandela Way is nearby and owned by the council.
“Our vehicles already pass Mandela Way en route to the Selchp waste-to-energy plant where we deliver the waste, so this site would minimise travel times and road miles travelled.
“We have a strong track record of considering the needs of local communities, and all of our trucks are fitted with GPS tracking and drivers are forbidden from taking shortcuts through residential streets on the way to Selchp.
“We always strive to provide excellent services and value for money, and as part of that mission we are currently in the process of putting the contract for our waste services out to tender, and to do this we need to be able to offer an alternative to the existing site.”
Leader of Southwark Council Nick Stanton refused to be drawn into the planning matter, but in a statement he appeared to make a dig at Westminster’s choice to move its operation out of the borough.
He said he was proud that Southwark took responsibility for “dealing with our own waste”. |
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