Claims that house sales have been lost as a result of the proposed major new waste plant at Pinkham Way should send a chill down the spines of everyone who lives within a couple of miles of the site. A couple planning to move to Berkshire said they lost their buyer — even though this buyer had agreed the deal — because of the plans.

The blight has started already and everybody who lives in Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, New Southgate, Southgate Green, Broomfield and Bounds Green must now stop being complacent. There is substantial evidence that these plants create smells that, under certain wind conditions, can be smelt miles away. It appears that the proposed site at Pinkham Wood will have an 80ft chimney which will ensure that everybody around gets a fair share of the smell and pollution.

Do you know how near you live to Pinkham Wood? Make a point of finding out and you will probably be shocked how close it is.

Don’t be kidded into thinking that railway lines, golf courses, main roads and parks are an effective barrier — smell and pollution transcends all such barriers.

Moreover, once the blight sets in, no one will want to come and live within a mile or so of the proposed plant.

Those already living with the area will find that they are trapped in a home that can only be sold at a substantial discount, that is, if it can be sold at all.

Barry James
Former Secretary of the Bounds Green & District Residents’ Association