NIS Update August 30th 2006
Reminder
Closing Date for Objections to the Aldermaston village housing development is 31/08/2006
Application Reference: 06/01733/FUL
Address: White Tower Nursery (plants) Station Road Aldermaston Reading
Proposal: 14 houses and garages
Case Officer: Pete Sulley
Reminder
Closing Date for Objections to the 7,500 house estate near AWE Burghfield is 04/09/06
Application Reference: 06/01795/OUTMAJ
Address: Kennet Valley Park Burghfield Road Burghfield Reading Berkshire
Case Officer: Sara Appleton
Write to West Berkshire Council, Market Street, Newbury, Berks RG14 5DL planapps@westberks.gov.uk.
Public Inquiry on Old Banger Racing Site Housing Plan
The Planning Inspectorate has not yet confirmed a date or allocated this case to an Inspector but hope to do so in the next two weeks. The Inquiry is expected to take place in February 2007.
The deadline for written representations has passed but you can attend the Inquiry and at the discretion of the Inspector address the Inquiry. If you wish to do this, quoting Reference No APP/W0340/A/06/2008355, write to the address below saying that you wish to speak.
The Planning Inspectorate
Room 4/04
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
Bristol
BS2 6PN
West Berks Council's Statement of Case which outlines what the Council will refer to in their evidence is attached as a separate document.
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KVP Housing Plan near AWE, Letter to Planning Officer from NIS
West Berkshire Council
Planning Applications
Market Street
Newbury
RG
30th August 2006
Dear Planning Officer
Planning Objection
Application Number: 06/01795/OUTMAJ
Location: Kennet Valley Park, Burghfield Road, Burghfield Reading
7,500 dwellings; social infrastructure including schools, health centres and indoor recreation facilities; utilities, infrastructure etc.
Background
Kennet Valley Park (KVP) is near to The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield. This unique nuclear site, where nuclear warheads are assembled and disassembled, currently has a 1.5Km countermeasure zone contained in its Off-Site Emergency Plan. In future, particularly during the decommissioning of plant and buildings at AWE, the zone could be extended. In the event of a nuclear accident, residents within the zone must take shelter or be evacuated, depending on the severity of the event.
Although KVP is just outside the existing countermeasure zone, if the prevailing south westerly wind were to take a plume towards the KVP site, West Berkshire Council, Reading Borough Council and the emergency services would be the authorities responsible for offering practical assistance. The local authorities would also be involved in ensuring that post accident re-housing, decontamination, remediation and monitoring is carried out and may have to cope with a community where people were unable to return home for many years.
The site is also very close to the 600metre evacuation zone along the Burghfield Road, needed in the event of a radiation risk from a TCHD warhead transporter accident.
Application for Housing Development close to the AWE Countermeasure Zone
1. A planning application that meets planning requirements in other respects, should be examined in terms of the strain it would put on local resources in the event of an accident at the nearby AWE Burghfield site.
2. It is questionable whether it is appropriate to have such a large scale development in the vicinity of the AWE Burghfield factory, given the concerns of the Nuclear installations Inspectorate expressed in their Report1 relating to the age and state of the Burghfield site.
3. The site is within 2 km of a former munitions factory, now designated a nuclear licensed site and a source of radioactive contamination. Surveys should be undertaken on contamination levels and groundwater flows in the area to establish whether there would be any impact on the development.
4. The proximity of the site to the disused underground AWE Pangbourne Pipeline should be established and taken into account.
5. At the time of the Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq, we were told that Saddam
Hussein had sited military installations in civilian areas and that this was conclusive
proof of his brutality – who other than a tyrant and a dictator would think of using civilians as "human shields" to protect the military? WBC cannot exempt itself from this unpalatable political comparison since responsibility for its policy rests with the democratically elected council. Before any consent is considered on planning grounds, the matter should be referred to the Full Council for debate on this issue.
6. The Emergency Services should be consulted and local people made aware that limited accident response resources might have to be stretched over a greater number of people. It is surprising that planning applicants are entitled to submit plans for new housing developments so close to a REPPIR site countermeasure zone and the Full Council should look at this question as a matter of policy.
In the light of the contents of this letter, I wish to object to Planning Application06/01795/OUTMAJ.
Yours sincerely
Di McDonald
Notes
1. HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate
AWE ALDERMASTON AND BURGHFIELD
QUARTERLY REPORT FOR 1 JANUARY TO 31 MARCH 2006
Burghfield
New Assembly/Disassembly Facility:
New facilities offer safety gains from reduction of risks compared to facilities designed to older standards. NII is pursuing the early construction and use of new assembly/ disassembly facilities at Burghfield, in order that work associated with the current AWE programme is predominantly carried out in the new facilities. Recently delays have occurred in the design phase, which may result in extended use of the current facilities. NII has advised AWE that a consequence of extended use of existing facilities will be that the periodic safety report may need to contain more demanding justifications and additional engineering.
See: http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/llc/2006/aldermaston1.htm
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KVP Housing Plan near AWE, Letter to Pete Sulley of West Berkshire Council
West Berkshire Council
Planning Applications
Market Street
Newbury
RG
23rd August 2006
Dear Pete Sulley
Planning Objection
Application Reference: 06/01733/FUL
Address: White Tower Nursery (plants) Station Road Aldermaston Reading
Proposal: 14 houses and garages
Background
White Tower Nursery is near to The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), Aldermaston. This unique nuclear site, where nuclear warheads are manufactured, has a 3Km countermeasure zone contained in its Off-Site Emergency Plan. In the event of a nuclear accident, residents within 3Km must take shelter or be evacuated, depending on the severity of the event. West Berkshire Council, Hampshire County Council and the emergency services are responsible for carrying out the safety plan under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (REPPIR). The local authority would also be involved in ensuring that post accident re-housing, decontamination, remediation and monitoring is carried out and may have to cope with a community where people were unable to return home for many years.
The site is also inside, or very close to, the 600metre evacuation zone needed in the event of a radiation risk from a TCHD warhead transporter accident.
Application for Housing Development within the 3Km zone
A planning application that meets planning requirements in other respects, should be examined in terms of the strain it would put on a designated area’s safety plan. The Emergency Services should be consulted and local people made aware that limited accident response resources would have to be stretched over a greater number of people.
It is surprising that planning applicants are entitled to submit plans for new housing developments within REPPIR site countermeasure zones and the full council should look at this question as a matter of policy.
In the light of the contents of this letter, I wish to object to Planning Application
06/01733/FUL.
Yours sincerely
Di McDonald
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