Communities Secretary overrules local referendum to sanction nuclear waste site

Northamptonshire County Council has condemned communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles for going against localism by allowing radioactive dumping in its area.

Mr Pickles has allowed low-level radioactive waste to be dumped in a landfill site at Kings Cliffe, near Peterborough, following a Planning Inspectorate review of the proposal.

Northamptonshire councillors had unanimously opposed the idea when it was put to them. Ben Smith, who chaired the council’s development control committee at the time of the application said: “Naturally I am very disappointed at the decision of the secretary of state as it has always been my view that low level radioactive waste should be disposed of where it arises.
“It is unfortunate, I believe, that these decisions cannot be made locally without central government intervention.

“It is still a priority for the county council that we achieve the minimum impact from the development on the local community and the environment.”

Waste company Augean’s application to take the waste at its site was opposed by local campaigners who secured 98% support in a local referendum.

Mr Pickles said the expert advice was that this waste “would not be harmful to the local community”.

Augean said in a statement that the Environment Agency had issued an authorisation permit for the disposal of these wastes. “We hope that members of the local community who have had reservations about these proposals can be reassured that both the secretary of state and the Environment Agency would not authorise permission for disposal of these wastes unless they were completely satisfied that they present negligible risk to human health or the environment,’ it said.