A weekly drop-in session is set to begin in Seascale for anyone who wants to talk about plans for an underground radioactive waste facility in the area.
Known as a geological disposal facility, deep geology beyond the coast is being considered for the siting of its underground elements. It means a surface facility on, or near, the coast would provide access to a disposal area deep in rock beyond the coast.
Mid Copeland GDF Community Partnership will start to hold the drop-ins from May 17 at the Old Vicarage from 10am to 5.30pm and people are invited to pop in and ask questions of the partnership’s community engagement team. It will run until July 19.
The Mid Copeland Search Area covers the electoral ward of Gosforth which includes Seascale, Gosforth, Beckermet, Calderbridge, Haile, Thornhill, Nethertown and Braystones. The Lake District National Park is excluded from consideration.
Community Partnership chair Andy Pratt said: “We thought this would be another useful way for people to be able to talk to someone face to face and gather information, so please come along and see the team.
“There’s no need to make an appointment, just drop-in and have a conversation, raise a question. As always, we will try our best to answer there and then, if we can’t then we will always come back to you.”
The GDF programme requires both a suitable site and a willing community and is still in the early stages.
If a suitable site is found in the area – a process which could take 10-15 years – a decision to develop a GDF in Mid Copeland could not be taken until the community in the electoral wards directly affected has had a say and taken a positive Test of Public Support.
