Have your say on proposed Energy Recovery Facility

A major public consultation has been launched to canvass the views of local people on proposals to build an Energy Recovery Facility in Beddington Lane, Sutton.

The consultation is being run by Viridor – the Preferred Bidder for the South London Waste Partnership’s residual waste treatment contract.

The comprehensive programme of community engagement will include newsletters delivered to 50,000 households in the vicinity of Beddington Lane, public exhibitions a freephone information line (0800 298 7040) and an innovative online engagement hub at www.viridor.co.uk/beddington-erf.

Households in Croydon, Kingston, Merton and Sutton produce about 215,000 tonnes of residual waste (waste that has not been recycled or composted) each year.  At the moment, most of this waste is buried in expensive and environmentally unsustainable landfill.  The proposed ERF would instead use safe, tried and tested methods to treat the waste, extracting valuable electricity and, if viable, heat from it.

Feedback received during the consultation period (which runs until 31 May 2012) will be taken into consideration by Viridor when preparing their planning application, which will be submitted to the London Borough of Sutton during the summer.

Once submitted, Sutton Council will carry out further statutory consultation with interested parties and the local community before officers make a recommendation to Sutton’s Development Control Committee whether to approve or reject the application.

To find out more about the proposed development and get involved in the consultation, visit www.viridor.co.uk/beddington-erf