The North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP) is North London Waste Authority's (NLWA) ambitious £1.2bn plan to redevelop the more than 50-year-old Edmonton EcoPark, providing flagship recycling and waste management facilities for north London’s residents. Upon completion, the facility will power 127,000 homes and provide hot water and heating for 60,000 homes and businesses.

As sustainability and environmental advisors, Arup is helping NLWA realise its vision “to create a waste management facility in which local communities take pride, which demonstrates value and is a model for public sector project delivery.” We provided strategic and project delivery management advice across the programme by utilising multiple specialist roles to deliver cost and commercial management, environmental assurance, transport assurance and health, safety and wellbeing advice.

In addition to the waste management facilities, the project involves the construction of EcoPark House, a completely off-grid education centre where visitors can find out more about the circular economy and how to reduce the carbon impact of their waste.

To date, our work has helped to divert 835,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste from landfill. This focus on material reuse, the new, substantially more efficient facility is a major investment in infrastructure for the circular economy and another step towards more affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.

Arup’s Environmental Assurance Team has been an important partner throughout the delivery of the North London Heat and Power Project. Arup have provided critical support throughout the NLHPP programme thanks to a great relationship, driving a strong commitment to sustainability across the project.

Jacqueline Fitzgerald

Principal Technical Assurance Officer, NLWA

Sustainability services

The project has already exceeded or is on track to exceed many of the environmental benefits the NLHPP DCO and Sustainability Statement committed to deliver during construction. A minimum of BREEAM Very Good which has been achieved for EcoPark House, and the project is now targeting BREEAM Excellent for EcoPark House through a 20% increase in solar panels, as well as the implementation of a green roof, an off-grid system, battery storage, and ground source heating pumps.

NLHPP also committed to an 85% diversion of construction and demolition waste from landfill, with a stretch target of 95%. To date, our work has helped the project to divert 99% of its construction and demolition waste. 

The promotion of sustainability innovation, best practice and collaboration across the programme has been led by a specific innovation workstream, driven by our team and embedded into construction contracts. Regular environment and sustainability workshops are held to promote collaboration across project partners and identify opportunities for innovations that will drive more sustainable outcomes. Since the project began, over 50 sustainability innovations have been implemented, enabling beyond compliance delivery. 

Through innovation, effective collaboration, and proactive and beyond compliance behaviours, NLWA – and its partners Arup, AECOM, WSP, Grimshaw, Ramboll, Stephenson Harwood, Adams Hendry, ACCIONA and Taylor Woodrow – are set to deliver the most sustainable facility possible.

A video still of Aislinn Crawford discussing the North London Heat and Power Project
Aislinn Crawford, Sustainability Consultant at Arup, talks about carbon reduction.
Map of the North London Heat and Power Project
The new facility will support the development of sustainable solutions in managing waste.
North London Heat and Power Project. Credit: Grimshaw
To date, our work has helped to divert 835,000 tonnes of construction and demolition waste from landfill.

Programme and project management

We have been working with NLWA for over a decade and successfully delivered the Development Consent Order (DCO) application for this nationally significant infrastructure project. Our multi-disciplinary team led the preparation of the scheme through an iterative process of design development, public consultation, and engagement with a range of stakeholders including local authorities and community groups. We responded to the findings of the public consultation and addressed the environmental challenges to ensure the design and delivery of the facility is as sustainable as possible.

We prepared the environmental and transport assessments, along with technical documents including the Sustainability Statement, Design and Access Statement and Code of Construction Practice. This complex application was prepared in less than 16 months ensuring that the project was on track to meet the overall construction programme. The DCO was granted by the UK Secretary of State on 24 February 2017.

In 2019, works began on site and we were appointed as delivery partner, embedded within the client team to provide multi-disciplinary programme and project management. Our role is to define and implement the overarching programme approach and governance processes, and provide specific schedule, risk, information and cost management, as well as sustainability, environmental and health and safety expertise supported by regular reporting.

A video still of James Bellinger discussing the North London Heat and Power Project
James Bellinger, Associate Air Quality Consultant at Arup, discusses air quality

Did you know?

835,000

tonnes

of waste has been diverted from landfill

127,000

homes

powered from 78 megawatts of heat and power

60,000

homes and businesses

receiving hot water and heating