A consultation in Croydon and Sutton on amendments to the planning application for the £1 billion Beddington Lane incinerator scheme has been extended by a month – because of the latest administrative cock-up at Croydon Council.

Bringing the message home: Protesters outside incinerator developer Viridor’s offices in Kent last month. Picture by Emmet Simpson

Anti-incinerator campaigners who wanted to access the hefty documents at Croydon’s Central Library ahead of tomorrow’s original deadline for comments were unable to do so.

According to a Sutton Council official, the documents had been “delivered to Croydon Council’s offices at Taberner House last month, for display at  Taberner House and the Central Library, and I had understood that these were in place”.

It took Croydon nearly a month to make the documents publicly available, as had been intended and required by the planning process, and it was not done until after they had received a strong reminder from Sutton. 

As a consequence, Sutton Council has been forced to extend the deadline – and even had to issue an apology for their colleagues in Croydon.

In a letter to one of the campaigners, seen by Inside Croydon, a Sutton council official wrote: “Colleagues in Croydon have confirmed that the amendments to the application are now available for inspection at the Central Library. They have asked that I apologise on their behalf for the documents not being there when you called in on Saturday. I believe they have acted promptly to rectify the situation…

“Although we have asked that comments on the amendments be submitted within 21 days of our last consultation letter, ie by 22 March, I confirm that we will continue to accept representations made up until the application is considered by the Council’s Development Control Committee, which we still expect to be on 24 April.”

Croydon: “Proud to Swerve”.

• At a planning meeting at Croydon Town Hall last night, Conservative councillors who three years ago campaigned for votes on a promise of “no incinerator in or on the borders of Croydon” all voted in favour of the Beddington Lane incinerator scheme.

• MEPs condemn “dangerous” Beddington incinerator proposals
• Wake up Waddon: this really is a £1bn incinerator
• Another chance to get Trashed: Sutton, March 28

• Inside Croydon: For comment and analysis about Croydon, from inside Croydon
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