DOZENS of residents from three boroughs are expected to picket a full council meeting at Barnet Council tonight.

More than 100 people turned up to demonstrate against plans for Europe’s largest waste handling plant alongside the A406 Pinkham Way on the boundaries of Barnet, Haringey and Enfield, at a Barnet Council cabinet meeting last month.

They fear the plant, planned for the former Friern Barnet sewage works, will generate unsustainable levels of traffic and say it is far closer to people’s homes than comparable plants elsewhere in Europe.

The plans have been brought forward by the North West London Waste Authority, which covers seven boroughs, in a bid to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Bidesh Sarkar, chair of the Pinkham Way Alliance, the main opposition group, said: “We fear residents in the immediate vicinity and the surrounding areas will suffer from the pollution and noise caused by this huge movement of big vehicles, on top of any toxic emissions that come out of the plant itself.

“We have serious concerns that there will also be vibration damage to the foundations of homes along the routes, as well as roads and sewers underneath with so many heavy vehicles using roads that were not designed to take that kind of punishment.

“If the government can listen to public opinion and think again about its plans for the NHS, the NLWA and the seven boroughs should listen to the fears and genuine concerns of the thousands of people whose health and wellbeing could be seriously affected by this plant.”

Councillors are also likely to face questions about the plans inside the meeting tonight.