More than 2,000 residents have signed a petition opposing plans to build a recycling plant in West Drayton.
The campaign against the plant has been gathering pace since its launch, with a demonstration backed by Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell taking place in late December.
Powerday Plc submitted a planning application to demolish the existing Old Coal Depot buildings and construct a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), despite a promise in early 2015 not to develop the site and after a five-year battle with residents.
Since then, a total of seven petitions were created, each with a specific reason against the plant, as well an overall petition which is nearing 2,100 signatures.
Cllr Jan Sweeting, West Drayton ward councillor and Secretary of the Garden City Estate residents association, submitted her reasons against the plant, as both a councillor and a resident, on Wednesday January 20.
She explained that there were a total of seven petitions and that only the main petition could still be signed up until a few days before the hearing.
She said: “The main thrust of all of this work has come from the Garden City Estate Resident's Association – they've delivered leaflets, collected signatures and continue to do so.
“We're a very small committee but we've had such great support from local people and businesses.
“It just shows the amount of anger there is locally about this company coming back for a third time trying to put their major recycling plant in the middle of a residential area.”
'There's actually no need for it'
David Andrew, chair of the Garden City Residents Association, said there had been a “great amount of support”.
He said: “With Crossrail coming, even more people will want to live here and it's inappropriate to build this plant.
“There's actually no need for it. It's in the wrong place, the nature of the area is changing, it doesn't conform with waste policy and they've not demonstrated a need for it at all.”
Mr Andrew is inviting as many people as possible to come to the planning application hearing at the major planning application meeting, likely to March 3 2016.
The site, which will incorporate a recovery and recycling building, storage bays and associated car parking, landscaping, fencing and infrastructure, will recover recyclable materials such as plastics, glass and cardboard from businesses and households.
But the site was previously rejected by Hillingdon Council after a 4,000-strong petition, and active residents are gearing up to campaign again.
Powerday has acknowledged that it faces opposition ahead of the planning application hearing.
A spokesperson said: “We will be noting all the feedback from the consultation period which closes on January 27. We will then be commenting further on our proposed planning application."
Those wishing to get involved with the campaign should contact Cllr Sweeting on jsweeting@hillingdon.gov.uk
