Colnbrook Incinerator
    Latest News (Dec 2004 to 2007)

Grundon's incinerator

Court finds in favour of incineration (April 07)

West London Waste Authority (WLWA) has won its court case against Mayor Ken Livingstone. He was trying to prevent WLWA incinerating their waste at Colnbrook. (This was not actually the case contested, but that is what it was really about.) The Mayor is planning to appeal.

This decision supports and endorses the incompetence and the contempt for residents from Mike Nicholls, head of WLWA, his technical advisor, David Streeter and the councillors from the boroughs who supported the court action (at our expense). The sooner a London-wide waste authority takes over from WLWA, the better.

See press release for more information and comment.

Councillors try to force through incineration in court (Feb 07)

Weak councillors are resorting to the courts to force through wasteful and polluting incineration of our waste. See press release.

West London boroughs sleepwalking towards incineration? (Dec 06)

While most of the councillors have been saying the right things about dealing with our waste, there is now a danger that they will take the easy option and incinerate. See letters on this threat.

Staggering hypocrisy from Slough (Jan 06)

Slough council has denied planning permission for a small garage because of air pollution. Meanwhile, Slough supports huge polluters like Heathrow and actively encourages ones like Grundon. See (tongue in cheek) letter below.

Rogan's garage have, for far too long been getting away with spewing arsenic and dioxins and low-level radiation into the atmosphere and it is time for the community to stand tall for the sake of the little guys like Grundon's and the BAA, long the victims of enviromental bullying by Rogan's garage. Rogan's garage should be made an example of and be taken to the European Court of Justice for its shameless disregard for human health and wanton enviromental abuses. How dare Rogan's ask for an extension!

Will Wiltshire help to poison Londoners? (Jan 06)

There is a sinister new twist to the Grundon incinerator. Impatient with trying to get our West London boroughs to sign up to incinerating our rubbish, Grundon has gone touting for business around the country. Wiltshire County Council wants to transport its rubbish to Slough so that it can be burnt there and the pollution can blow over us rather than themselves.

Wiltshire Labour, Conservative and LibDem councillors all appear to support this plot, judging by the Press Release. They are:

• Toby Sturgis (Con)
• Sylvia Doubell (LibDem)
• Margaret Taylor (Lab)

Public consultation on waste strategy (Nov 05)

West London Waste Authority (WLWA) has launched a consultation to help it develop a new Waste Strategy. (A Waste Strategy is an essential pre-requisite for placing a contract to incinerate or dispose of waste by other means, as Ken Livinsgtone had to remind WLWA.)

Part of the consultation has been a series of 3 'workshops' to help WLWA and its consultants develop the waste strategy. West London Friends of the Earth (WLFOE) are attending the workshops.

The first workshop in Jan 05 raised a number of interesting issues, but WLFOE were concerned that issues of communication were seen to be more important than 'hard' issues such as the health effects of incineration. We are also concerned that the WLWA have declined to publish a list of attendees at the workshop.

Public meeting in Willesden (Dec 04)

A public meeting took place in Willesdon on Wed 8th Dec 04. It was organised jointly by SAIN (Slough Anti-Incinerator Network) and Brent & Harrow Green Party. Darren Johnson, Green Party member (councillor) on the Greater London Authority, was among the speakers.

Lobby at Colnbrook (Dec 04)

Around 100 people attended a public meeting and lobby in Colnbrook on Sat 4th Dec 04. The rally met at the Church of England school in Colnbrook High Street and after speeches moved to the site of the proposed incinerator. Black balloons were released to symbolise the pollution that would drift downwind.

Police were present in quite unnecessary numbers. Quote from one of the people lobbying " The police presence at last Saturday's march was unnecessarily large and the use of photography and video cameras was tantamount to intimidation. Their efforts, during the march from the school to the incinerator, was clearly focussed on taking close up pictures of individuals and that this message should be made clear to those involved in the protest.

It speaks volumes about the state of our democracy when the police feel it necessary to take close-up photographs of people on a march to express a perfectly democratic right to peacefully protest.

Let those police officers understand that in standing up for justice and the right to breathe clean air which includes the right not to be polluted by harmful incinerators, we represent not just ourselves and our communities but also those who fail to comprehend the health dangers in our midst."

Sad to say, the police action at Colnbrook is only part of campaign they are waging to remove civil liberties.

Links for more information on Colnbrook incinerator

Court case press release (April 07)
Colnbrook incinerator campaign (story up to Dec 04 and more links)
Monster incinerator threat (background information and more links)
Sleepwalking towards incineration?
Back to incineration introduction
Back to waste, recycling and incineration introduction

(Updated April 07)