PLANS have been drawn up for a £100m new waste disposal plant on on the edge of the North Circular in New Southgate.

North London Waste Authority (NLWA) wants to convert derelict land in Pinkham Way into a new state-of-the-art recycling centre.

The site – the former Friern Barnet Sewage Treatment Works – sits on the border of Barnet, Haringey, and Enfield, and will significantly boost efforts to recycling 50 per cent of waste by 2020.

David Beadle, chief executive of NLWA, said: “Though we have an incinerator, it can only handle part of the waste produced each year, and we want to reduce or eradicate waste sent to landfill.

“This will reduce the costs and in environmental terms it will reduce the impact of waste production in north London.”

NLWA, which governs waste management across Enfield, Haringey, Barnet, Camden, Islington, and Waltham Forest, is seeking outline planning permission for the site which would process around 300,000 tonnes of waste a year, close to a third of North London's total.

If approved, it will select a firm to build and manage the new plant, which could be operational by Spring 2016.

The authority is racing to improve its recycling figures to avoid multi-million pound fines if it missed the European Union set directives.

Mr Beadle sought to allay fears that the new plant would be an incinerator, similar to the one in Edmonton, which has garnered negative feelings over the years since it was built.

He said: “This is not and never has been an incinerator at this location, it will either be an energy from waste solution or a mechanical biological treatment plant.”

Mr Beadle said noise coming from the plant should be no greater than that coming from the A406, and odour emitted would be kept to a minimum.

He said: “We accept there will always be people who would rather it not be there, but there is always going to be some community hosting the facility.

“Great attention has been paid to the impact on local people and we hope this will have no or very minimal impact.”

The authority estimates around 560 trucks will go in and out of the plant each working day, predominantly using the A406, Orion Road and Pegasus Way for access.

Plans will be displayed to the public at Hollickwood Primary School, in Sydney Road, Muswell Hill, between 2.30pm and 7pm on Saturday, February 12, and between 6pm and 8.30pm on Tuesday, February 15, and at St Paul's Church Parish Hall, in High Road, New Southgate, between 2pm and 7pm on Wednesday, February 16.

The application has been drawn up in conjunction with Barnet Council, as they include the prospect of the local authority having a depot on the same site. Mr Beadle said the authority would consider suggestions made which would improve the project, and NLWA will then apply to Haringey Council, which has jurisdiction over the site, for planning permission.