Policy information sourced from The London Plan 2021

SI 8 Waste capacity and net waste self-sufficiency

In order to manage London’s waste sustainably:

  • the equivalent of 100 per cent of London’s waste should be managed within London (i.e. net self-sufficiency) by 2026 
  • existing waste management sites should be safeguarded (see Policy SI 9 Safeguarded waste sites)
  • the waste management capacity of existing sites should be optimised
  • new waste management sites should be provided where required
  • environmental, social and economic benefits from waste and secondary materials management should be created.

Development Plans should:

  • plan for identified waste needs
  • identify how waste will be reduced, in line with the principles of the Circular Economy and how remaining quantums of waste will be managed
  • allocate sufficient sites, identify suitable areas, and identify waste management facilities to provide the capacity to manage the apportioned tonnages of waste, as set out in Table 9.2 – boroughs are encouraged to collaborate by pooling their apportionment requirements
  • identify the following as suitable locations to manage borough waste apportionments:
    • existing waste and secondary material sites/land, particularly waste transfer facilities, with a view to maximising their capacity
    • Strategic Industrial Locations and Locally Significant Industrial Sites
    • safeguarded wharves with an existing or future potential for waste and secondary material management.

Mayoral Development Corporations must cooperate with host boroughs to meet identified waste needs.

Development proposals for materials and waste management sites are encouraged where they:

  • deliver a range of complementary waste management and secondary material processing facilities on a single site
  • support prolonged product life and secondary repair, refurbishment and remanufacture of materials and assets
  • contribute towards renewable energy generation, especially renewable gas technologies from organic/biomass waste, and/or
  • are linked to low emission combined heat and power and/or combined cooling heat and power (CHP is only acceptable where it will enable the delivery or extension of an area-wide heat network consistent with Policy SI 3 Energy infrastructure Part D1c)

Developments proposals for new waste sites or to increase the capacity of existing sites should be evaluated against the following criteria:

  • the nature of the activity, its scale and location
  • effective implementation of the waste hierarchy and its contribution to London’s circular economy
  • achieving a positive carbon outcome (i.e. re-using and recycling high carbon content materials) resulting in significant greenhouse gas savings – all facilities generating energy from waste will need to meet, or demonstrate that steps are in place to meet, a minimum performance of 400g of CO2 equivalent per kilowatt hour of electricity produced
  • the impact on amenity in surrounding areas (including but not limited to noise, odours, air quality and visual impact) – where a site is likely to produce significant air quality, dust or noise impacts, it should be fully enclosed
  • the transport and environmental impacts of all vehicle movements related to the proposal – the use of renewable fuels from waste sources and the use of rail and waterway networks to transport waste should be supported.

When planning for new waste sites or to increase the capacity at existing sites the following should be considered:

  • job creation and social value benefits, including skills, training and apprenticeship opportunities
  • local need
  • accessibility of services for local communities and businesses.

For more information please see The London Plan 2021