A statement posted on the Shepway Lib Dem webpage on Tuesday 5 says ‘The reactor itself is classed as ILW and will be the last bit to be removed, with no time scale yet agreed for that phase of the work. Over 40 years after the building of Dungeness A, the government still does not know what to do with the waste.’
Cllr Beaumont says “Dungeness will become a nuclear dumping ground. We have always known that low level waste was going to be stored at Dungeness after decommissioning, but ILW is completely different.
“How many local people are aware of this? How do they feel about what’s happening on their doorstep, without being told? How many people will feel safe in their beds when they know this waste is being stored just down the road?"
Conservative Councillor for Romney Marsh William Richardson and Magnox South, responsible for decommissioning Dungeness A, have hit back, claiming the public were aware that ILW would be stored onsite.
In an email to From Under The Stone, Cllr Richardson wrote ‘The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority [NDA] have held public consultations in Lydd, New Romney and surrounding parish councils as well as at Shepway District Council explaining the decommissioning process and I have attended all these meetings. There was no concern from the public on the storing of ILW'.
Cllr Richardson also suggested the desire to gain votes was the reason for the statement.
‘May I suggest that the Liberals are not qualified to comment on the nuclear industry, they are scare-mongering and looking for votes preceding a looming general election!!’
In a statement to From Under The Stone, Magnox South said ‘The public were fully consulted prior to the site obtaining consent to decommission in 2006. In addition the Dungeness site stakeholder group is regularly updated on and consulted about the work on site.’
Seeking to allay fears that Dungeness would take in waste from other sites, the statement ended, ‘The bottom line is: ILW waste has always been stored on site, this is approved policy and we don't take in waste from other sites.’
Documents freely available on the NDA website dating from 2006 suggest ILW storage onsite has always been the case. Cllr Beaumont has not commented further.
The November 2009 decision by the government not to consider Dungeness as a possible site for a new build nuclear power station generated much comment locally. Generally regarded as a blow to the Marsh economy, conservative and Labour politicians were quick to condemn the decision.
The Liberal Democrat Group, which has consistently been against nuclear power, has offered alternative suggestions seeking to make the most of unique tourism opportunities available on the Marsh, which has been criticised by conservative councillors as 'cloud cuckoo land' thinking.
Eds note 08 January - information concerning other Magnox sites removed to keep length down.
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