Legal challenge to nuclear waste ban
A company this week had plans to dump radioactive waste at a landfill site in Northamptonshire refused have launched an appeal against the decision.
Augean yesterday began the appeal process against the refusal by Northamptonshire County Council's development control committee to store the low-level radioactive waste at the site in Kings Cliffe, in the north of the county.
The controversial decision followed a planning application in relation to operations at its East Northants Resource Management Facility, near Corby, to allow the site to dispose of low level waste.
A spokesman for the firm said: "This would principally be construction waste, mainly soils and rubble, with small amounts of radioactivity, arising from the demolition of ancillary buildings, such as offices and infrastructure, at decommissioning power stations, as well as other sources, such as hospitals and science and research facilities."
The scheme was refused despite a strong recommendation for approval by county council planning officers.
Dr Gene Wilson, Augean's group technical director, said: "Of course we were disappointed that Northamptonshire County Council was not able to support our application.
"However, we believe that the refusal was not based on sound scientific or policy grounds and will now take these important proposals forward through the appeal process."
The scheme could have seen as much as 250,000 tonnes of low-level radioactive waste dumped at the site each year until 2013.
But the application was turned down unanimously, with committee chairman, and former county council cabinet member for the environment, Councillor Ben Smith (Con, Greens Norton) claiming that bringing waste from nuclear sites across the country to Kings Cliffe was not the 'best available technique'.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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