Havering Council's Strategic Planning Committee has approved an extension to landfill operations at the Veolia ES site on Coldharbour Lane, Rainham, despite concerns raised about the environmental impact. The landfill will accept non-hazardous waste.
The committee convened on 10 July 2025, and agreed to extend the operational life of the landfill and composting facilities until the end of December 2029. Restoration of the land is expected by 31 December 2031, with aftercare extending to 31 December 2036. The annual projected input is stated to be 200,000 cubic metres of waste, equating to 1 million cubic metres of waste after 5 years. The decision was made despite the land being designated as Green Belt, which, according to the National Planning Policy Framework, is meant to prevent urban sprawl.
The application, P1633.24, was previously deferred at the Strategic Planning Committee meeting on 8 May 2025, to obtain further clarity and completeness of the section 106 Heads of Terms before making a decision, and for officers to provide a response to questions raised by members concerning the proposals.
The key terms of the Section 106 agreement include: Extension of Operational Life and Restoration, Land Transfer Option to the Council, Provision of Visitor Car Parking, Waste Input and Settlement Monitoring, Revised Restoration and Public Access Plan, Green Travel Plan, Aftercare Management, Environmental Education Facility, Public Access and Riverside Pathways, Brown Land (PLA Access Protection), Yellow Land (Nature Conservation Transfer), Blue Land (Riverside Access Rights), Financial Bond and Insurance and Replication of obligations in the Section 106 dated 12 July 2016. These terms mitigate environmental impact through measures such as phased restoration, delivery of public riverside pathways and recreational access, prioritisation of ecological and community areas, and aftercare management.
The aftercare plan extends to 31 December 2036. The legal agreement includes heads of terms for aftercare management, including the provision and maintenance of a visitor centre or environmental education facility during the Aftercare Period, and maintenance and delivery of new and existing public access routes until the end of the Aftercare Period.
The committee noted that the proposal is considered acceptable and in line with the borough's waste management strategy and sustainability goals, as well as the Joint Waste Development Plan for the East London Waste Authority Boroughs.
The approval is subject to conditions and the prior completion of a legal agreement. The conditions attached to the approval of the landfill extension include: Time Limit for Operations (Temporary Planning Permission), Approved Plans, Notice of commencement of Restoration, Notice of commencement of Aftercare Period, Restoration and Aftercare Schemes with Phasing Plan, Alternative Restoration Contingency Condition (Landform Reprofiling), Noise Mitigation Scheme, Dust and Air Quality Control, Wheel Wash and Road Cleanliness, Traffic Management, Pest and Gull Management Plan, Lighting Scheme, Interim Seeding and Soil Management, Soil (topsoil and sub-soil) Storage and Reuse, Waste Type Restriction, Unexpected Cessation of Operations, Biodiversity Net Gain, Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP), Ecological Method Statement and Invasive Species Strategy, Review and Update of CEMP and Site Management Plan, Invertebrate Survey Strategy, Final Landform and Surface Water Drainage Compatibility and Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) Emissions Control.
The agenda for the meeting included a reminder that councillors must make decisions on planning applications strictly in accordance with planning principles.
