View on the ground

Cumbria

The Government has invited councils (municipalities) in England and Wales to volunteer to host a nuclear waste dump. Copeland Borough Council (site of the Sellafield nuclear facility) and Allerdale Borough Council, both in West Cumbria have indicated they might be prepared to host a nuclear waste dump. And Cumbria County Council has agreed to make an “expression of interest” for those parts of the County covered by the two boroughs. (Much of Cumbria is covered by the Lake District National Park.) The final decision on this was taken by the County’s Labour-controlled Cabinet meeting on 9th December 2008, amid allegations democracy was being stifled. Stan Collins, a county councillor with the Liberal Democrats, said he was extremely concerned the cabinet had taken such an important decision, affecting so many people, without the involvement of other councillors. (Guardian 10th December 2008)

The three Councils set up the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership which is an advisory body aiming to "make recommendations to Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council on whether they should participate or not in the geological disposal facility siting process, without commitment to eventually host a facility". The partnership also includes the West Cumbria Sites (nuclear) Stakeholders Group, the Cumbria Association of Local Councils and local trades unions. All other Cumbrian local authorities have been invited to join while the Isle of Man government and other concerned bodies can attend meetings as observers.

Cumbria is also the location of three of the eleven sites nominated for a new nuclear station published by the Government on 15th April 2009. Braystones which is about about 3.5km from Sellafield near Egremont, Kirksanton, near Millom, about 23km from Sellafield, and Sellafield itself were also included on the final list of ten nominated sites which was issued on 9th November 2009 (It was proposed to drop Dungeness from the list). This was part of a consultation  on Draft National Policy Statements (NPSs) on Energy Infrastructure. The consultation closed on 22nd February 2010. The Government says it is now considering the consultation responses and will publish a formal response document later in 2010 together with the final National Policy Statements. Under the new Planning Act the finalised Nuclear NPS will establish the ‘need’ for new reactors, so the subsequent planning process will only deal with site specific issues.

Two of the sites are the only green field sites on the list. Both were nominated by RWE, which has now bought farmland at the two sites.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) announced in October 2009 that it had sold an area of land comprising 190 ha (470 acres) lying to the north of the Sellafield site for a value of at least £70 million. The winning consortium comprises Iberdrola S.A, GdF Suez S.A and Scottish and Southern Energy plc.

The Braystones site was, like many other parts of Cumbria, flooded during November 2009. Residents say this has reinforced their opposition to a new reactor being built. Particularly worrying was the fact that the road between Beckermet and Braystones was flooded to a depth of six feet.  The Lake District National Park Authority says building reactors on the site would have a serious impact on the area tourism industry. And Doug Cross, an environmental consultant, warned both greenfield sites would cause problems for the tourist industry.

Kirksanton is home to Britain’s largest colony of natterjack toads – a rare and highly protected species –according to Cumbria Wildlife Trust. It says Kirksanton is home to around 24% of the UK’s natterjack population. Dr Kate Willshaw says: “It is the most damaging proposal for wildlife in Cumbria that we have seen in the last 10 years”.

RWE has been accused of causing property blight around Braystones and Kirksanton after letters dropped through residents’ letter boxes in the two areas on 2nd February 2010 informing them the company had no specific plans and was scrapping its agreements to supply power to the national grid from the “potentially suitable” sites. Cumbria County Council says it will oppose the two sites because it is not convinced the benefits of development would outweigh the costs

Local Groups:

Radiation Free Lakeland

Braystones Group

Save Kirksanton

Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment
 

Last Updated 1 June 2010
 

This section of the website has been developed thanks to funding from Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation, and the Andrew Wainwright Reform Trust.