Lib Dems Continue the Fight to Stop London's Waste Being Dumped in Milton Keynes

12.00.00am GMT Sun 21st Jan 2007

The Liberal Democrat-run Council is continuing its battle to fight proposals that one-tenth of London's waste should be landfilled within the Borough of Milton Keynes.

It plans to oppose strongly a speculative planning application from landfill operators WRG for a "Waste Reception Hall". They are seeking the development of a large building which would, in effect, act as a waste transfer station. They would want to operate it from 4.30 am until 7.00 am on the days that the landfill site is approved to operate. Waste brought in between these hours would then be transferred within the landfill site when it opens at 7.00 am.

Announcing that the Liberal Democrats intend to fight these proposals, Councillor Douglas McCall, cabinet member for the environment, said: "We are going to oppose WRG's proposals strongly. Not only are they jumping the gun, as the emerging South-East Plan does not come into force until 2016, but the affect on Bletchley residents of lorries arriving from 4.30 am is totally unacceptable."

The current planning permission at the Bletchley landfill site does not allow operation of the site prior to 7.00 am. The Liberal Democrats feel WRG's proposal is trying to get around that condition by the back door.

The draft South-East Plan proposes that Milton Keynes should take 10% of London's residual waste, estimated at 160,000 tonnes per year, from 2016. This would treble the amount of waste going into Milton Keynes' landfill site. The Liberal Democrats announced in October last year that they would be fighting this proposal to take London's waste.