Kent County Council opposes plans for nuclear waste disposal site

As Shepway District Council confirmed it will be holding a public consultation on proposals to build a nuclear waste disposal site off Dungeness – covering an area twelve times bigger than The O2 in London – KCC Leader Paul Carter said: “I would like to make our position abundantly clear. Kent County Council is totally opposed to initiating any process that even entertains the possibility of building a nuclear waste disposal site anywhere near or around Kent.

“We will do everything possible to oppose this unviable proposal and will use every ‘tool in the box’ to bring an end to this scheme. I have no doubt that the residents of Kent will share my horror, and I am absolutely committed to ensuring the public have their voice heard on this. Therefore we will, if necessary, push for a county-wide referendum, so the unequivocal views of the residents of Kent will be heard in the heart of Whitehall. We must boot this outrageous proposal into touch.

“These nuclear waste stores should be in remote areas. It is utter madness to do so in a relatively densely populated area, close to London and the Home Counties, that will involve the movement of highly hazardous waste through London and the South East. It is also equally irresponsible to consider constructing such a gigantic facility in an area which is both an earthquake zone and one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

“Damian Collins is absolutely correct when he says that if this project was to go ahead, these jobs will not be created until 2025 when the construction phase would start. What we need is jobs now – and with Expansion East Kent loans and a concerted campaign to build at Dungeness, the future of East Kent’s economy is now full of more opportunities than ever before.

“Through Expansion East Kent, KCC has just announced £35m of business support to create 5,000 new jobs and encourage businesses expansion in East Kent. We are also launching a major inward investment campaign to entice businesses to relocate here, which, along with ambitious plans proposed by the new potential owners of the former Pfizer site, Discovery Park, will bring the potential for substantial new job creation in East Kent.

“In addition to this, we have successfully lobbied Network Rail for additional investment to deliver massive improvements to its rail network, bringing high speed trains from Ashford to East Kent direct from London.

“The grave danger of starting this process is that the suggestion of this unviable proposal could lead to a detrimental effect for the growth of East Kent’s economy, which is bristling with opportunity. This needs stopping in its tracks right now.”