Hackney drops opposition to waste incinerator

Hackney Council has dropped its opposition to a £1.5bn waste incinerator project, which is now forecast to cost the authority millions of pounds more than expected earlier this year.

Ahead of the 2026 local elections, the Hackney Green Party pledged in its manifesto to "explore every option to cancel" the reconstruction of an ageing rubbish incinerator serving seven north London councils.

But after winning control of the council in May, the party says abandoning the project would be financially and environmentally "devastating".

Work to rebuild the ageing Edmonton plant began in 2022, but the scheme has faced opposition for decades over concerns about air pollution and carbon emissions.

Councillor Jacob Cable, the council's cabinet member for climate, said it was "clear" that failing to complete the project would be "devastating both financially for the seven constituent boroughs" which use it.

Cable, who is also chair of the North London Waste Authority (NLWA), said cancelling the rebuild would "also massively worsen environmental and operational outcomes, as we would have to pay to transport our waste to lower performing incinerators than that which is being built".

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he reached that conclusion after commissioning a review into the "costs and risks associated with not completing the project".

The U-turn comes as the cost of rebuilding the incinerator has soared, directly affecting the borough's projected budget deficit over the next three years.

Hackney Council said the multi-year construction budget for the 50-year-old plant had risen by 80%.

A council spokesperson said the authority's predicted budget shortfall had increased by £9m, partly because it has to contribute more money towards the rising cost of rebuilding the Edmonton waste plant.

The council now expects its budget gap to grow to more than £21m by 2030.

In 2024, Hackney's Labour administration defended the scheme after a BBC investigation found that burning rubbish was the UK's "dirtiest form of power".

The scheme has been delayed by rising construction costs, high interest rates and supply chain pressures.

The NLWA said work had also been hindered by "unforeseen complications for working on an old industrial site", including the discovery of asbestos, unmapped water pipes and a "sewer diversion" that proved "more complex than planned".

According to the project's website, the incinerator is due to enter its commissioning phase in 2027.

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