News : Cumbrian organisations attend workshop explaining process of search for a location for a possible underground nuclear repository in West Cumbria
More than 20 representatives from organisations across
Attendees at the event, organised by the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) Partnership, at Hunday Manor Hotel, near Workington, on Thursday, January 13 included members of parish councils, trade unions, environmental groups and transport organisations. They were shown a DVD and took part in a series of workshop sessions that were designed to help improve their understanding of the issues the Partnership is looking at, and provide them with opportunities to feed back their thoughts and ideas on the Government’s search to find a location for a geological disposal facility.
Key issues discussed at the workshop included explaining how the public’s and stakeholders’ views will inform the work of the West Cumbria MRWS Partnership. The potential impacts to the community and benefits were discussed, along with how communities could be involved in narrowing down a search for a site location if
Mike Davidson, a member of the Partnership and Allerdale councillor, said: “The workshop was a way for the Partnership to help explain some of the issues that it is looking at in relation to the Government’s search for a geological disposal facility and get feedback.
“There were some good discussions among the stakeholders. Initial feedback suggested that the people who had attended found the session useful and that they had learned a lot about the Partnership’s work.”
The West Cumbria MRWS Partnership is made up of all the local authorities in
The Partnership will provide advice to Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council in advance of their making a decision whether or not to proceed to the next stage of the Government’s process, without making any commitment to having a repository in the area.
The Partnership is providing other opportunities for local people to find out more and give their views on some of the issues involved. There is a discussion pack with a DVD which people can use to organise a small discussion group. More information is available on the Partnership’s website - www.westcumbriamrws.org.uk - or you can email helenf@3kq.co.uk to order copies of the pack.
In the summer the Partnership will produce a report with its initial advice on whether or not
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For media enquiries please contact the Partnership’s communications advisor Paul Gardner at Osprey Communications on 01524-782086 or 077667906561
- In addition to Allerdale Borough Council, Copeland Borough Council and Cumbria County Council there are a range of other organisations making up the partnership, including Barrow Borough Council, the Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum), local trade unions, the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Churches Together Council, Eden District Council, South Lakeland District Council, Carlisle City Council, the Lake District National Park Authority, the Cumbria Association of Local Councils, NuLeAF (the Nuclear Legacy in Cumbria, the Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Tourism and the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group.
- A number of other organisations attend as ‘observing members’ including Government departments, the Isle of Man Government, CoRWM (Committee on Radioactive Waste Management), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the safety and environment regulators.
- The Government is looking for a community in the
- Taking part in discussions with the Government does not commit the Cumbrian authorities to hosting a deep geological repository and they can withdraw from the process at any point up until a time when construction would begin – estimated to be more than 10 years from now.