Aldermaston: object to the laser facility now!
jk | 20.09.2005 22:05
Stop the evil laser landing at Aldermaston
This time, it's the big one: £20 million's worth of design and build for a laser building - which can replicate the conditions of a nuclear explosion - is about to be approved by a tiny local Planning Committee ... unless we do something to stop it... and soon.
This time, it's the big one: £20 million's worth of design and build for a laser building - which can replicate the conditions of a nuclear explosion - is about to be approved by a tiny local Planning Committee ... unless we do something to stop it... and soon.
shiny banner thing
WS Atkins artistic impression of laser facility
in the snow (and "freezer bags"), freezing our tits off last time round
After almost two years in the process, the Notice of Proposed Development for the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston's Orion laser facility is back before the local planning committee to deal with the "reserved matters". This means they will look at all the details which were not resolved in the original outline NOPD - which passed through the committee unopposed in December 2003. [It was withdrawn after a legal challenge, but went before committee and was passed (again) in May 2004, along with some skimpy environmental impact information.]
The closing date for objections to the new laser is 30 September, ten days from now. One small thing you can do now is to write a quick letter of objection. If they get enough there is a chance the decision will be referred (and, if nothing else, that puts a temporary spanner in the nuclear-war profiteers works and reminds them that people do give a shit enough to say something about what they are up to! ... apologies for minor rant...)
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READ DETAILS AND MAKE OBJECTIONS ONLINE
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(or cut n paste if it does not htmlify!)
http://tinyurl.com/dzn2e
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SEND OBJECTIONS BY POST TO
-----------------------------------------
Clive Inwards (Case Officer)
Senior Planning Officer
West Berks. Council, Market Street, Newbury RG14 5DL
cinwards@westberks.gov.uk
Tel: 01635-519111
Fax: 01635-519408
----------------------------------------
A model letter can be found at the AWPC site (see link below) which suggests some of the points you could make, but please feel free to adapt it, cut it, amend it - just bear in mind that for objections to be considered they have to be made on planning grounds. You can't just say that nuclear weapons are illegal and immoral, waste of bloody money, militarily useless, etc etc - they will just throw it in the bin.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Area Planning Committee will be meeting at Calcot Centre, High View (off Royal Avenue), Calcot (on the distant outskirts of Reading) on 21 September 2005 - tomorrow - to discuss the NOPD for more modular buildings. We would love to see you there: last time we had snow and body-bags, this time we may have monkeys or ostriches, but we also need people just to come to show the depth of opposition to the next generation of nuclear weapons. In themselves, these four office buildings are quite innocuous, but they will house the staff and contractors working on the new developments.
-----------------------------------------
BACKGROUND
-----------------------------------------
As part of the 2002 Site Development Strategy Plan, AWE stated their intention to get a new laser facility (Orion). In May 2004 AWE received outline plan-ning permission for the construction of a new laser facility (Orion). This will be capable of replicating the conditions of a nuclear explosion, and could be used
to test new weapons designs without the need for live testing banned under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) – to which the UK is a signatory.
Preparatory work has begun on the laser site, which you can see from the A340 between Home Office (West) Gate and Construction Gate.
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RELATED NEWS
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A German company MW Zander is reported to have been awarded the contract to design and build the facility for £20million.
(international site http://www.mw-zander.com/)
This info is based on industry news rather than from the company directly. See http://www.glenigan.com/news/asp/projectdetailpage.asp?pid=DR0920030912005
According to this info, the start date was 22 August 2005 and duration is likely to be 30 months. Certainly work is happening on the site and some semi-permanaent new security fencing has gone up (around the site, which is already behind chainlink, weldmesh, cameras, tension-lines etc etc .. so maybe they are expecting visitors?!)
----------------
If you want to be kept up to speed with developments at Aldermaston, you can join a simple announce-list. Just drop a line with tng_subscribe in the subject header to the email address below.
The closing date for objections to the new laser is 30 September, ten days from now. One small thing you can do now is to write a quick letter of objection. If they get enough there is a chance the decision will be referred (and, if nothing else, that puts a temporary spanner in the nuclear-war profiteers works and reminds them that people do give a shit enough to say something about what they are up to! ... apologies for minor rant...)
-----------------------------------------
READ DETAILS AND MAKE OBJECTIONS ONLINE
-----------------------------------------
(or cut n paste if it does not htmlify!)
http://tinyurl.com/dzn2e -----------------------------------------
SEND OBJECTIONS BY POST TO
-----------------------------------------
Clive Inwards (Case Officer)
Senior Planning Officer
West Berks. Council, Market Street, Newbury RG14 5DL
cinwards@westberks.gov.uk Tel: 01635-519111
Fax: 01635-519408
----------------------------------------
A model letter can be found at the AWPC site (see link below) which suggests some of the points you could make, but please feel free to adapt it, cut it, amend it - just bear in mind that for objections to be considered they have to be made on planning grounds. You can't just say that nuclear weapons are illegal and immoral, waste of bloody money, militarily useless, etc etc - they will just throw it in the bin.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Area Planning Committee will be meeting at Calcot Centre, High View (off Royal Avenue), Calcot (on the distant outskirts of Reading) on 21 September 2005 - tomorrow - to discuss the NOPD for more modular buildings. We would love to see you there: last time we had snow and body-bags, this time we may have monkeys or ostriches, but we also need people just to come to show the depth of opposition to the next generation of nuclear weapons. In themselves, these four office buildings are quite innocuous, but they will house the staff and contractors working on the new developments.
-----------------------------------------
BACKGROUND
-----------------------------------------
As part of the 2002 Site Development Strategy Plan, AWE stated their intention to get a new laser facility (Orion). In May 2004 AWE received outline plan-ning permission for the construction of a new laser facility (Orion). This will be capable of replicating the conditions of a nuclear explosion, and could be used
to test new weapons designs without the need for live testing banned under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) – to which the UK is a signatory.
Preparatory work has begun on the laser site, which you can see from the A340 between Home Office (West) Gate and Construction Gate.
-----------------------------------------
RELATED NEWS
-----------------------------------------
A German company MW Zander is reported to have been awarded the contract to design and build the facility for £20million.
(international site
http://www.mw-zander.com/) This info is based on industry news rather than from the company directly. See
http://www.glenigan.com/news/asp/projectdetailpage.asp?pid=DR0920030912005 According to this info, the start date was 22 August 2005 and duration is likely to be 30 months. Certainly work is happening on the site and some semi-permanaent new security fencing has gone up (around the site, which is already behind chainlink, weldmesh, cameras, tension-lines etc etc .. so maybe they are expecting visitors?!)
----------------
If you want to be kept up to speed with developments at Aldermaston, you can join a simple announce-list. Just drop a line with tng_subscribe in the subject header to the email address below.
jk
e-mail:
info@aldermaston.net
Homepage:
http://www.aldermaston.net/tng/tng_alerts.php
Comments
Hide the following 2 comments
CND, where are they now
20.09.2005 22:59
I know in reality this protest stuff becomes a hobby for some, but why? Is failing time after time after time after time good for any aspect of one's soul. If people feel the need to act (and god only knows this Earth needs that), then why not spend some time studying the history and methods of SUCCESSFUL protest, and find a way to act SMART, not wet, cold, remote, ignored, and pointless. All this Indymedia chuminess is self-defeating. Aim to have a realistic chance of winning, or play a different game.
twilight
Twilight, please...
21.09.2005 00:00
You rant and rave, snipe at campaigns that are at least doing SOMETHING about issues that matter, and rarely seem to offer any solutions to the things you dislike so much.
Furthermore, what have YOU done about the issue of new nukes?
Have you been involved in the campaign against them?
Have you offered new and innovative ideas for, as you put it, 'realistic' protest?
Do you have any experience of such protests (and thus answers to the problems at hand) to offer?
If the answer to the above is 'no', 'no' and 'no', then I cordially suggest you keep your rather questionable opinions to yourself, and leave the running of such campaigns to people who know what they are talking about.
I'm a member of the Plymouth branch of trident Ploughshares, and have been for about three years. I've been involved in four disarmament camps in Plymouth, and have attended protests at Faslane. I am aware of the problems within the anti-nuclear movement, and I have yet to see or hear of you taking any action on the issue at hand.
Until you have something positive to offer, please keep your tiresome sniping to yourself.
Pilgrim