Since November 2018 I have been fighting against plans to build a mass waste incinerator across the Thames from Rainham.

It isn’t in the interests of my residents or the environment. Every report has highlighted that the development will have a severe impact on air quality across Rainham and the Beam Park development area.

Last week my team attended a preliminary meeting in Erith to discuss the application and the representations received so far. The Secretary of State will be making a decision to approve or reject the plans by spring 2020.

I attended a backbench debate on waste incineration in Westminster Hall last Wednesday, and in the coming weeks I will be visiting the existing incinerator to meet with Cory Environmental Holdings Ltd.

Incineration is the least environmentally friendly form of waste disposal after landfill, and the energy produced by this scheme if approved is not enough to justify the negative impact it would have on existing residents and the London Riverside Opportunity area.

I have written to every household in Rainham to update the community twice. I have raised a petition against the plans which has over 1,000 signatures so far. If you haven’t signed yet, head over to my website www.joncruddas.org.uk/belvedere-incinerator-petition

I have rallied a broad coalition of voices on this application which include the Wildlife Trusts, Teresa Pearce MP for Erith and Thamesmead, and several other environmental organisations.

Last month the Labour Party declared an environment and climate emergency. The Tories in government refuse to recognise the crisis, so it falls to Labour to act.