New recycling facilities and an education and visitor centre were both praised by judges at the National Civic Trust Awards

North London Waste Authority staff at the National Civic Trust Awards

Work to build new recycling facilities and a visitor centre at Edmonton Eco Park has been “highly commended” at an awards ceremony.

North London Waste Authority (NLWA) recently received national recognition for the first completed phase of its North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP) at the prestigious National Civic Trust Awards.

The awards celebrate projects that make a positive cultural, social, and environmental contribution to local communities.

The first completed facilities at Edmonton Eco Park as part of NLHPP are the new reuse and recycling centre, which opened to the public in July 2024, and Eco Park House, a new education and visitor centre now being used by Edmonton Sea Cadets, which opened in July 2025.

Both buildings were delivered with high sustainability standards, including Breeam ‘very good’ design‑stage ratings, a 2,235‑panel rooftop solar array generating more than 900,000kWh annually, and an off‑grid operation at EcoPark House supported by ground‑source heat pumps.

This first phase of NLHPP is known as ‘EcoPark South’, while the second phase, which includes the controversial new incinerator, is currently behind schedule.

National Civic Trust Awards judges said: “EcoPark South demonstrates that infrastructure of this scale can be delivered with care, intelligence and social awareness.”

North London Waste Authority is a public body which manages waste disposal on behalf of seven London boroughs, including Enfield.

Martin Capstick, managing director of NLWA, said: “This is fantastic recognition of the vision we set out to achieve: to build facilities in which local communities can take pride, demonstrate value and serve as a model for public sector project delivery. It shows that essential infrastructure can be delivered sustainably, beautifully, and with real public benefit.”

Designed by Grimshaw Architects and delivered by Taylor Woodrow, EcoPark South facilities have continued to receive national and regional acclaim since their completion. Eco Park House was named ‘Social Infrastructure Project of the Year’ at the 2025 British Construction and Infrastructure Awards, while EcoPark South is currently shortlisted for a 2026 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) London award.

Kirsten Lees, partner at Grimshaw, said: “EcoPark South, part of the wider North London Heat and Power Project, marks a genuine shift in how we think about waste — bringing typically hidden infrastructure into public view and reframing it as a visible, valued civic asset.

“Here, design plays a vital role: creating places that support long-term learning, community interaction and environmental awareness, while demonstrating what a circular economy approach looks like in practice. It shows how the infrastructure we rely on every day can actively contribute to the sustainable, resilient cities of the future.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.