BREAKING NEWS: Northamptonshire anti-nuclear campaigners launch court of appeal bid
Campaigners have launched a Court of Appeal battle to stop low-level radioactive waste being dumped near their Northamptonshire village.
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles granted planning permission for disposal of the waste at a landfill site close to Kings Cliffe.
Village resident Louise Bowen-West, a member of Kings Cliffe Wastewatchers, recently failed to block the proposals in the High Court.
She asked appeal judges to rule that the High Court had got the law wrong and that the decision in May last year to give the go-ahead to Augean Plc, which operates the East Northants Resource Management Facility, should be reconsidered.
Richard Drabble QC, appearing for Ms Bowen-West, told the judges the permission was a “foot in the door” for much larger quantities of hazardous and low-level radioactive waste to be deposited in the area.
The current permission runs until August 31 2013, but there were proposals to expand operations to adjoining land until 2026.
Mr Drabble said: “The reality is this is part of proposals for a very substantial landfill site taking low-level radioactive waste.”
He argued that Mr Pickles, before giving his consent, should have ordered an environmental impact assessment (EIA) to take account not only of the effect on the area of the original planning application but its wider implications.
“There is an obligation to assess the wider affects at the earliest opportunity,” he told Lord Justice Laws, sitting with Lord Justice Tomlinson and Lord Justice Kitchin. He argued Mr Pickles’ decision to treat the initial planning application before him on a “stand alone”
basis was legally flawed, and the High Court should have so ruled.
In the High Court, Deputy Judge Stewart QC had ruled that the Communities Secretary was legally entitled to decide that any future application for permission to expand the site “could and should and would be considered on its own merits”.
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Comments
There are 4 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Finker
Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 10:58 AMThat is why we have a formal process with independent reviews available for experts to consider all the facts rather than just residents armed with Google and personal predujudices.
patrickinator
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 03:40 PMcan I just say that it is not just all about the radiation there is a lot more to it than that. Firstly, it is over the major aquifer for peterborough and is based on limestone, prone to sink holes and if that happens who know how many BILLIONS of pounds that will cost for the UK. also the proposal means that a huge truck will arrive every 5 minutes 277 - yeah right. also the company itself is terrible and no doubt they have been involved in corruption. just look it up yourself instead of reading it on the northampton chronicle website
Finker
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 10:05 PMIf you don't like radiation then Northants is not a good place to live given the high levels of Radon - wonder if all of them have been bothered enough to check their own houses?
town&out
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 08:01 PMThey need to hurry up... what if all them bits & pieces start getting compacted? If one too many Micky Mouse luminous watch hands interact with other Mickey Mouse luminuos watch hands then it's KABOOOM!!
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