Public meeting for Cumbria nuclear site to be held

A public meeting is being held in two weeks to give residents and businesses an opportunity to learn more about the proposed plans for land being put forward as a site for nuclear new build in Sellafield, Cumbria.

The 250 hectares of land is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and is being nominated by urban regeneration company West Lakes Renaissance.

West Lakes Renaissance has worked closely with a number of partners including Cumbria Vision, Invest in Cumbria, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Cumbria County Council, Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council, Northwest Development Agency and Furness Enterprise.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will submit the nomination to the Department of Environment and Climate Change by 31 March, the deadline set under the Government's Strategic Sites Assessment process.

Cllr David Moore, chairman of the West Cumbria Site Stakeholder Group hosting the event, said: "The journey from nomination to new build could take a decade so it is important that the public and site stakeholders are aware of the process and timescales. The event is about raising awareness, so the public and site stakeholders are properly briefed before the formal public consultation period begins.

"New build is of huge importance to West Cumbria so we would urge people to come along and get a greater understanding."

Nuclear new build is a key component of the Britain's Energy Coast Masterplan, which aims to establish West Cumbria as a major national hub for low carbon and renewable energy generation.

The Nuclear New Build Nomination team, led by West Lakes Renaissance, will stage the event at Whitehaven Civic Hall on Wednesday 18 March.

The event is being chaired by Cllr David Moore. There will be two public sessions during the day between 2.30pm and 4pm and from 5.30pm until 7pm.