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)

Copeland and Allerdale have now joined the West Cumbria Partnership for Managing Radioactive Waste Safely. 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. 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 two sites are at Braystones, about 3.5km from Sellafield near Egremont, and Kirksanton, near Millom, about 23km from Sellafield. Residents at Braystones launched a website to oppose the plans in August 2009.

The third Cumbrian site is adjacent to Sellafield. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) launched a process to sell that land on 8th June 2009. The NDA closed the period for companies to express an interest on 3rd August 2009.

Local Groups:

Radiation Free Lakeland

Braystones Group

Save Kirksanton

Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment
 

Last Updated 21 December 2009
 

This section of the website has been developed thanks to funding from Polden-Puckham Charitable Foundation.