A controversial £1 billion incinerator is set to come to south London, with places in Kingston, Croydon, Sutton and Merton identified as possible sites.

The centre, which will cost close to £919 million, would also handle radioactive waste, clinical waste and sludge disposal facilities.

The details were exposed by south London Green Party campaigner Shasha Khan’s team, who deciphered the “compulsory procurement vocabulary”, a set of numbers which related to the types of waste processed.

Croydon Council is leading the procurement process for the South London Waste Partnership (SLWP), which also includes the boroughs of Sutton, Merton and Kingston.

The procurement document highlights three possible sites for the incinerator, including Factory Lane in Croydon together with Villiers Road in Kingston and Garth Road on the border of Sutton and Merton.

But it admits other sites would be considered.

The site would handle up to 222,000 tonnes of waste a year, with the council admitting it would be open to discussions for taking additional waste from “third parties” outside of the waste partnership.

Minutes from the SWLP meeting on June 22 this year showed the concern the boroughs had in expressing their “position on incineration”.

It added: “The Partnership’s evaluation criteria will reward high-performing, low emission, modern, sustainable technologies that offer residents value for money.

“All boroughs within the partnership are firmly against poor performing, outdated technologies such as old fashioned, mass burn incineration, which is poorly designed, visually intrusive and releases high levels of noxious emissions.”

The contract, which would last between 25 and 35 years, is funded by PFI credits from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

There have been expressions of interest from 26 private companies already.

Details of sites from the companies will emerge around October this year as the council opens consultations.

Croydon Council is set to select their preferred company in March 2011 with the site completed by April 2014.

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