At last night’s South Copeland GDF Community Partnership meeting held in Millom and attended by about twenty members of the public, the results of the baseline survey the CP commissioned from an independent company Yonder were shared. The survey was conducted in two Copeland electoral wards (Millom and Black Combe and Scafell). It was a random survey which included 158 interviews and 20 x 30 minute conversations with residents. The purpose of a baseline survey is to find out at the beginning of a project the status of the subject. Here are some of the results:
85% had heard about what was going on
3/4 aware of the search area and Community Partnership
Half identified accurate description of GDF
61% against the GDF being sited here (of whom many were strongly opposed)
27% in favour
Reasons given why against: safety and security; environment; transportation; infrastructure
Wanting more independent information from experts on: safety; environment; waste transportation; economic impact; impact on future generations
44% said they wanted the information from the Council and they wanted to know what the views of the Council are regarding the GDF for or against
In light of this several letters have been sent to Millom Town Council asking them to consider their position on the Partnership.
The South Copeland GDF Community Partnership are now making the minutes of their meetings available on their website. Other documents they have produced are also available there, including the minutes of the Working Party which preceded the Partnership.
They are also seeking a wider membership although you will have to be quick as the deadline for applications is tomorrow (to be fair, they have been advertising for a while now). However, if you are thinking of applying you might want to consider the following comments:
it is all part of their grooming process
many opponents to GDF would see it as a sell out
it would curtail your ability to challenge the actions of the CP outside of CP meetings
it would suborn you to decisions made by the majority favouring taking the project forward
you could not call for local Parish Councils to withdraw from the CP if you are in it.
There are also suggestions that their meetings may well become public in the near future (see their August minutes).
A distinguished group of nuclear experts has launched a new independent advisory service for nuclear waste disposal.
The group’s collective expertise adds up to many decades of work in this controversial area, including advising government, the nuclear industry, environmental groups and NGOs. Its members’ specialisms cover policy, planning, public engagement, geology, and technical aspects of nuclear waste disposal and storage.
Disposal of high activity nuclear waste has been an unsolved problem for six decades. This launch coincides with a renewed search for a Deep Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in England & Wales. Any new programme of reactors could require more than one facility of this kind.
Currently this process is being led by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Its Nuclear Waste Services division has already established Community Partnerships to consider hosting a GDF in four areas of England. Three are in Cumbria: mid-Copeland, South Copeland and Allerdale. A fourth, Theddlethorpe, is in Lincolnshire. Other areas identified in the future as potential GDF sites may also benefit from NWAA services.
The group’s brochure sets out the range of issues that communities and local authorities need to consider. It is attached to this press notice and available on the NWAA website
A NWAA spokesperson said:
‘All of these Community Partnerships are currently being advised only by the industry, which is also the delivery body. The need for independent advice has never been more urgent as communities consider the serious nature of these proposals, not just for the present time but far into the future.
‘Geological disposal is a massive project and its impacts will be similarly huge. We aim to ensure that local authorities, communities and Community Partnerships get the whole picture.’
“NWS’ first marine geophysical survey off the coast of Copeland, Cumbria, was successfully completed on 18 August. This non-intrusive survey has gathered data to provide a better understanding of the deep geology and supports the search to find a suitable site for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).”
Over 50,000 people opposed the seismic survey to test the geology for a deep nuclear dump under the Irish Sea.
The “non-intrusive” seismic survey blasted marine life with sound every five seconds 24/7 for 20 days. There was no public consultation , not even a vote by Copeland Borough Councillors who are supposedly “Partners” in the GDF Community Partnership.
Here the seismic survey carried out by Nuclear Waste Services and Copeland Borough Council under the guise of “scientific research” has had impacts that have been witnessed already. Witnesses have seen harbour porpoise displacement, reported the strandings of dead seals and harbour porpoise at Drigg and the strandings of hundreds of dead jellyfish at Silloth. (distressing photos and report of cetacean deaths not published here but sent to the UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme)
The seismic survey will have negative impacts on our marine life for the months and years to come. This is the collateral damage from the Government’s policy to foist a deep hot nuclear dump under Cumbria and the Irish Sea.
Marine Pollution Expert Tim Deere-Jones has reflected : ” jelly fish are sensitive and well aware of their surroundings……. Jelly fish have receptors for a wide range of “senses” that respond to touch, light, gravity, chemicals and pressure waves/sound. Sensitivity to sound pressure waves and vibration has been inferred by observational studies of moon jelly fish (Aruelia spp:). Studies have concluded that sound pressure waves/sound are detected and mediated by the equivalent of “sound receptors”.
Laboratory studies have demonstrated that medusae form numerous small crystals, which are collected in sac-like statocyst located at the distal ends of their rhopalia. Rhopalia are complex sensory organs, which have been associated with pulsing, swimming and orientation and that act as gravireceptors, which enable medusae to position themselves in an upright posture after tilting.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has revealed major injuries in the statocyst sensory epithelium of both jellyfish and coral species after exposure to sound, that are consistent with the manifestation of a massive acoustic trauma observed in other species. The presence of acoustic trauma in marine species like moon jelly medusa (adult forms), shows the magnitude of the problem of noise pollution and the complexity of the task to determine threshold values that would help building up regulation to prevent permanent damage of the ecosystems.
Ref:….. “Evidence of Cnidarians sensitivity to sound after exposure to low frequency noise underwater sources.” Marta Sole et al’. Scientific Reports. Vol 6: article number 37979. Nature. 21st December 2016.s
Radiation Free Lakeland Press Release, 25th August 2022:
Colourful Nuclear Dump “feel good” books are being aimed at children by the Copeland Community Partnerships.
The Community Partnerships of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s subsidiary Nuclear Waste Services and Copeland Borough Council have teamed up to produce literature for adults and children to help form the “express consent of the people who would be living alongside a Geological Disposal Facility” Simon Hughes Community Engagement and Siting Director, Nuclear Waste Services.
This literature includes children’s books promoting the controversial Government policy to embed heat generating nuclear waste deep underground or deep under the seabed.
The children’s books and stickers are called “GDF’s HEROES.” The books include colourful characters such as “Radioactive Ray” who says “ Hi, I’m radioactive Ray, and I’m a nice kid. really. I just need a long time to cool off underground!”
Radiation Free Lakeland a volunteer nuclear safety group based in Cumbria have been running an online poll open to everyone and 949 people have responded.
There are two questions, the first: Should the Geological Disposal Facility Partnerships of Copeland Borough Council and Nuclear Waste Services be targetting children with “GDF’s Heroes” colouring books? 99% of people replied that “No, children should not be targeted with “GDF’s Heroes” colouring books.”
The second question: Should the “GDF’s Heroes” booklets, colouring book and stickers be removed from the literature used by the GDF Partnerships (Mid and South Copeland)?” 98% of people said yes.
The campaign group say that “the poll is an overwhelming rejection of the GDF feel good propaganda which is bad enough when it is aimed at adults but to propagandise children in this way with the notion that hot radioactive waste is a “nice kid” is very nasty indeed. We also wonder at the perverted message to children to be told that even though they are nice , like “Radioactive Ray” they will be buried underground for a long time to “cool off?”
Radiation Free Lakeland are aware that Copeland Borough Councillors apart from the four people on the executive have had no input into either joining the “Community Partnership” or the resulting literature aimed at children. The GDF’s HEROES, however are produced in Copeland Borough Council’s name as part of the “Partnership.” We hope that ordinary councillors will be as concerned as we are about the literature and like us will urge the removal of the GDF’s HEROES literature from the Community Partnership’s propaganda tool kit.
When the colouring booklet was shown to councillors at Millom Town Council, councillors were shocked. The chair of the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership, Councillor Ged McGrath, said the colouring books were there in case children were bored and wanted something to do whilst their parents looked at the information. He also said the booklets were prepared before the South Copeland GDF Partnership was formed. Nevetheless, the four information events (two in Millom, two in Haverigg) made the colouring books available along with colouring pencils and other ‘freebies.’ Unbeknown to Millom councillors (and no doubt Whicham and Millom Without councillors) these events were promoted by the South Copeland GDF Partnership, of which Millom, Millom Without and Whicham councils are members – in other words, the events are being promoted on behalf of the councils! One Millom councillor was shocked to learn this – clearly Millom councillors, and perhaps councillors from Whicham and Millom Without parish councils, are unaware of exactly what the South Copeland GDF Partnership are doing IN THEIR NAME. To put this bluntly: Millom Town Council, Millom Without Parish Council and Whicham Parish Council are promoting use of the colouring booklet.
NFLA media release, 19 August 2022, For immediate use
Twelve months, one meeting – the complete lack of accountability on nuclear in Copeland
Despite Copeland Council being at the heart of plans to develop a new nuclear plant and a nuclear waste dump in the borough, the Nuclear Free Local Authorities were surprised to see that the Council’s Strategic Nuclear and Energy Board has only met once in the last twelve months.[i]
Only last month, Copeland Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Nuclear and Commercial Services Councillor David Moore described how “the future looks rosy” for new nuclear in Copeland as talks progress on Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.[ii]
Unfortunately, for the members of the Board, there was no opportunity to explore how ‘rosy’ the future was as the scheduled 9 August meeting was subsequently cancelled. Since the last meeting of the Board on 6 October 2021, meetings have been cancelled on 9 December; 10 February; 28 April; 7 June; and latterly on 9 August 2022.
Infact, the Rolls-Royce fronted consortium developing a 470-MW so-called ‘Small’ Modular Nuclear Reactor still faces considerable challenges in bringing a design to market. The design still needs to be approved by the Office of Nuclear Regulation after a comprehensive Generic Design Assessment. If approved, the consortium would need to build and test an actual working prototype; establish facilities to fabricate the parts; master the fabrication and on-site assembly process; secure funding; navigate the siting, planning and Development Consent process; and actually build the first plant. So hardly a rose in fragrant bloom!
Perhaps the infrequency of the meetings of the Board can be related to the disquiet expressed by some members over the lack of accountability over plans for Copeland Borough Council to partner with Nuclear Waste Services to bring a nuclear waste dump (a so-called Geological Disposal Facility or GDF) to Copeland. The Board minutes for 9 October 2021 record that three Councillors wanted the final decision taken by a meeting of the Full Council rather than reserved to the Executive; with a tied vote, this proposal was defeated only on the Chair’s casting vote. To placate the objectors, Councillor Moore promised that ‘this committee and full Council would be updated on a regular basis’.[iii]The Board has since never met.
Commenting, Councillor David Blackburn said: “At a cost of up to£53 billion, the GDF would be the biggest engineering undertaking to take place in Copeland, since the creation of the Sellafield complex. It would be a repository for Britain’s high-level nuclear waste from seven decades of civil nuclear operations, and also take waste from future generation. Taking up to 150 years to build, fill and seal, it would have massive implications for, and be completely disruptive to, any host community in Copeland for generations.
“The GDF process is fast moving on apace. Since October 2021, first a Working Group and then a Community Partnership have been formed with Copeland’s involvement. In the last month, seismic testing has been taking place off the coast of West Cumbria, an activity which has rightly been hugely controversial for its adverse impact on marine life. Yet during this whole time, this Board, the very body charged by Copeland Council to provide oversight on the GDF and nuclear projects, has not met; no reports on these and other important issues have been brought before this Board for debate; and there has been no opportunity for members of the public to sit in on deliberations. Hardly democracy at its finest.”
For more information, please contact NFLA Secretary Richard Outram by email on richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk or telephone 07583 097793
This media release can also be found on the NFLA website at:
See new section on main page, point 53. Plan published in January 2019 clearly shows proposals for the area’s involvement with government and Copeland’s plans for ‘clean energy’ aka nuclear.
Guardian on line today published an article quoting the Zoological Society of London stating the dangers of seismic surveys as well as acknowledging the dangers of placing highly radioactive waste under the sea or, indeed, underground. Here is the piece by Mattha Busby.
