Sellafield gets consent for cost-saving demolitions
Several buildings that have not been used for 20 years and are a “waste of money” to maintain are to be pulled down.
Sellafield has been granted permission by Cumberland Council to demolish the Calder Hall Blower Houses – four buildings constructed in the 1950s to the east of the Sellafield estate that were used to pump coolant gas through nuclear reactors.
A cover letter submitted with the application for the demolition work states that each of the buildings is “redundant having reached the end of its useful life and no longer serves any purpose”.
Maintaining them is unnecessary and described in planning documents as “a waste of money”.
In addition, the land currently occupied by the quartet of buildings is described as “valuable for re-use”.
The buildings will be pulled down by contractor Erith and the concrete slab retained while plans for the site’s redevelopment are drawn up.
