County council set to withdraw from nuclear waste facility group

By pulling out of the Nuclear Waste Services’ Community Partnership, the council would effectively cancel the company’s consideration of the Lincolnshire coast for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) for deep burial of nuclear waste, after NWS announced that their area of focus had changed to an area of open land between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton, between Louth and Mablethorpe.

Coun Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: “When we took up Nuclear Waste Services’ (NWS, then called ‘Radioactive Waste Management’) invitation to join a working group in 2021, we did so with an open mind, knowing that residents themselves could make the decision as to whether it was right for the area.

“We wanted residents to be able to understand the full extent of the opportunities and consequences that would come with the building of a GDF in Lincolnshire,” he said.

“At that time, the site earmarked for the development was an old gas terminal in Theddlethorpe – a brownfield site. Since then, the area that NWS is considering for the entry point to the GDF has shifted to open farmland, a couple of miles up the coast and further inland.

“This changes the very nature of the proposal and, understandably, raised further concerns within the local community.”

Coun Hill continued: “Whilst we have tried to maintain an open mind towards the plans, we are now several years on from this first being suggested, and big questions still remain to be answered about the scale of the development and how this waste would get there.

“We had planned to put the decision on whether to remain within the partnership to a public vote next year, but it has become increasingly apparent that the community is getting frustrated with the uncertainty and slow pace of this process.

“Unless NWS can provide significant further details about their plans that reassure the local community and comprehensively explain the benefits and costs, it is my intention to withdraw from the process altogether.

“This will need to be a formal decision, taken at a meeting of the council’s Executive.

“NWS require at least one of the local councils to remain involved in the working group in order to progress the Lincolnshire GDF option. Following East Lindsey District Council’s withdrawal from the group earlier this month, our decision would effectively cancel NWS’ plans to build a nuclear waste facility in Lincolnshire.”

The company are clear that they need a ‘willing community’ to build this facility and other locations in the UK are being considered for a GDF, with two other sites earmarked in Cumbria, where there is an existing link with the nuclear waste disposal industry.

Simon Hughes, NWS Siting and Communities Director, said: “We understand Lincolnshire County Council’s current position. LCC has advocated for residents to have the opportunity to have access to the information they need to make an informed decision about hosting a GDF. Their participation is playing a key role in facilitating conversations with local people about the process, its implications, and potential benefits.

“NWS has held many public events and produced dedicated websites, newsletters, and met regularly with local people and stakeholders. We have to date granted over £2million to support local community projects for engaging in the process. Longer-term, a GDF has the potential to provide the host community with significant opportunities for a local workforce, skills, and education, as well as many other benefits such as improvements to local transport and infrastructure.

“The UK Government’s GDF siting process in England and Wales is consent-based and requires NWS to identify both a suitable site and a willing host community. This means if the community does not ultimately express support for a GDF, it won’t be built there.”

A nuclear waste disposal facility in Lincolnshire: a timeline

· 2021 – Radioactive Waste Management wrote to Lincolnshire County Council asking to explore Lincolnshire as the potential location for a geological disposal facility. The council responded asking for more details about the proposals, which were earmarked for a brownfield site in Theddlethorpe, East Lindsey.

The council’s executive agreed to explore the opportunity – making it clear it was not supporting a geological disposal facility – and accepted the invitation to join an initial working group to find out more.

· 2022 – Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) was created and took over the project from Radioactive Waste Management. A ‘Community Partnership’ formed with membership from both Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council.

· 2025 – NWS announced that their area of focus has changed to an area of open land between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton.

East Lindsey District Council withdrew from the Community Partnership and Lincolnshire County Council announced their intention to withdraw.