UPDATE: NWS reacts after county council pulls out and vetoes nuclear waste partnership

New council Leader, Coun Sean Matthews, has announced the move which has dealt the deathblow for plans to site a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in Lincolnshire.

Plans that earmarked Theddlethorpe on the coast as a possible site for underground nuclear waste storage were first raised four years ago. However, earlier this year NWS announced that their area of focus had changed to an area of open land between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton, closer to Louth.

Coun Matthews aid: “To everyone who was worried about these plans, I’m proud to say that you can now rest easy. We’re out of the community partnership and the nuclear nightmare is over.

“We have listened. We have acted. We have done what we said we would.”

The decision on axing the council’s membership of the nuclear waste community partnership was voted through unanimously by the county council’s Executive board today (Tuesday June 3).

It followed last Thursday’s Overview and Scrutiny Management Board meeting which discussed a report outlining the proposals for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in Lincolnshire, and heard speeches from David Fannin, the chairman of the Community Partnership, Seth Kybird, the CEO of Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), who are behind the proposals, and Mike Crookes, chairman of Guardians of the East Coast (GOTEC), a campaign group against the proposals.

Local county councillor Bayleigh Robinson, who represents Saltfleet and the Cotes, also spoke against the proposals requesting a full withdraw from the partnership.

Coun Matthews continued: “Residents have been very vocal about not wanting this to happen. They have been trying to get someone, anyone, to listen to them about the very natural fears they had around this plan. Well, the new council is listening.

“On day one as leader of the Reform UK group on Lincolnshire County Council I started the necessary democratic process that has led us to today’s decision. Following this process to the letter means that we can be sure the entire sorry saga won’t drag on for even longer.

“Although the idea is now dead and buried, I don’t want to take the credit for ending this nightmare. The credit must go to Travis Hesketh, Mike Crookes and the team who campaigned, on behalf of their neighbours and friends, against a nuclear waste plan that plunged their community into uncertainty.

“Now, Lincolnshire people can get back to living their lives, assured that this nuclear nonsense is over.”

Commenting on the decision, Simon Hughes, NWS Siting and Communities Director, said: “NWS has to date granted over £2million to support local community projects in the area and we are pleased to have left a lasting positive legacy for local people. We will now take the immediate steps needed to close the Community Partnership and the communities of Withern and Theddlethorpe, and Mablethorpe will leave the GDF siting process.”

Campaigners and residents were celebrating their victory over the proposal, which included a shore-based facility covering approximately one square kilometre and an extensive network of undersea tunnels for permanent nuclear waste disposal, which has faced sustained and growing opposition since 2021 when news of discussions first surfaced.

A grassroots movement quickly mobilised, with campaign group Guardians of the East Coast (GOTEC) leading the fight against the plan.

Despite the formation of a Community Partnership in 2022 — with East Lindsey District Council and Lincolnshire County Council acting as principal authorities — the campaign continued to build momentum. When East Lindsey District Council withdrew in early 2025, the process remained active, as only one principal authority was legally required to proceed.

The turning point came ahead of the May 2025 local elections, when the Conservative-led County Council said they would withdraw after the election due to a lack of information on concerns. That commitment was made good by the new Reform administration at the county council, marking a decisive end to the controversial proposal.

A spokesperson for GOTEC said: “This is a victory for community, transparency, and common sense. For over four years, local people have stood firm against a project that posed unacceptable risks to our environment, our coast, and our future. We thank every resident, Parish Councillor, Town Councillor and supporter who raised their voice. Today proves that communities can prevail when they come together.”

Residents have long expressed concerns over environmental, economic, and safety impacts, particularly the long-term implications of burying radioactive waste beneath the seabed off the Lincolnshire coast.

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.

2021 - 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.

2025 - Reform UK took control of Lincolnshire County Council in the local elections and enacted the council’s urgency protocol to have the membership of the Community Partnership reassessed as quickly as possible.