The Planning Bill came about primarily as a ruthless weapon to force through new nuclear build.
It is part of the deal crucial to French nuclear giant EDF’s purchase of the British nuclear industry.

Another crucial part of the nuclear masterplan is a ‘solution’ to the problem of nuclear waste.
Again democracy and genuine science has been overridden for political expediency.
Cumbria County councillors have been denied a vote on whether to ‘express an interest’ in a nuclear dump. The decision to go along with this process was taken by less than a handful of people comprising the CCC Cabinet.

The Cabinet’s reason for ‘expressing an interest’ is that Cumbria already has nuclear waste here.
Everyone is well aware of that but it is an enormous leap of blind faith to then say ‘we will bury the nuclear waste’ not only that but bury it in a site deemed by the Nirex inquiry to be the worst possible.

There is nothing to gain and everything to lose.

Jobs will remain at Sellafield for the next 100 years plus by looking after the waste safely without resorting to the most dangerous option of geological disposal.
Cumbrian councillors and Copeland MP Jamie Reed have been on ‘fact finding’ missions to the USA. They have not, however, visited their counterparts in Nevada where the State of Nevada has been successfully resisting a proposed nuclear dump at Yucca Mountain for 30 years.

Given the implications of new planning laws Cumbrian leaders including those in agriculture, tourism, wildlife, heritage and health should be sending a very strong message to Cumbria County Council and the Government expressing an interest in our health and the health of our environment and strongly opposing the geological disposal of nuclear waste in Cumbria.

This strong opposition is our only chance of turning a government -hell bent on smoothing the way to new nuclear build - away from forcing a nuclear dump on future generations of Cumbrians.

If any individuals, communities, groups or district councils would like to know about the consequences of a high level underground nuclear waste dump and want to do something about it please contact: Radiation Free Lakeland at  rafl@mariannebirkby.plus.com, or call 015395 63671.