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NIS UPDATE 22ndNovember 2008
AWE PlanningApplication for Assembly/ Disassembly facility
AWE expects to apply for planning permission around December 18th for its replacement Gravel Gerties in the Burghfield high security area. The new name for the project is MENSA, named after a star constellation. The Consultation period of 21 days cannot formally be extended as this is set out in the Council's procedures. However, given the Christmas holiday period and the fact that it is a major application, the Planning Officer will accept consultation responses and representations after the consultation deadlines have officially expired.
NIS is currentlyconsulting with other groups concerning the grounds on which toobject to this major development. As previously noted, the conditionof the existing warhead dis/ assembly facilities is giving the NIIRegulators serious concern. NII continues to permits work in the GGsonly on a single-operation-approval basis. Safe facilities are neededfor future disassembly of the 100+ warheads in the current stockpilebut the new plans will provide a new assembly workshop too. However,when we examine the new plans, they may not meet the required legalsafety standard. Climate Change flood events are expected to increaseand be unpredictable (see below: Emergency Planning for SeriousFloods). Burghfield may be the wrong site for a nuclear warheadfacility all together.
EmergencyPlanning for Serious Floods
Thethreat of sudden and overwhelming floods was the risk underdiscussion at a recent Civil Contingencies Local Emergency Planningconference in London. The Conference was organised by the PublicPolicy Exchange, in association with the Centre for ParliamentaryStudies and was attended by 25 delegates from the Maritime &Coastguard Agency, Army, Navy, local EPOs, Fire Services, theScottish Executive, academics, a journalist and NIS (alsorepresenting NAG, Plymouth Peace Group and SCANS).
PhilEvans, the Meteorology Office Chief Advisor to the government,explained that weather forecasting is currently not good enough,giving only 1-12 hours warning of unpredicted events. Next year animprovement is expected, giving two days notice when new modellingprogrammes are installed in the Met. supercomputer. Climate changeisthe challenge - and we don't know what we will be facing in future.The significant implication for AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield isthat risk assessments may have to be re-drawn and could concludethat the risk will become too high to justify. Apart from flood risk,a lightening strike on nuclear materials or a weapon may become amore frequent possibility.
Extractsfrom the Pitt Review of the July 2007 floods were provided asbackground information. For example:
"...wefirmly believe that the public interest is best served by closercooperation and a presumption that information will be shared, Wemust be open, honest and direct about risk, including with thepublic. We must move from a culture of 'need to know' to one of'need to share'. Pitt Review 06/08 ES7
NIIQuarterly Report 1 July -30th September 2008
http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/llc/2008/aldermaston3.htm
1. Change in ownership of AWE
Thereis still no confirmation that the contract between the MoD andJacobs Ltd has been finalised for the take over of BNFL's share ofAWEML. The announcement will be made by MoD, rather than AWEML. Thenew contractor will have responsibility for ensuring that AWEplcmeets its nuclear license obligations and the NII has alreadychecked that AWEplc has addressed the possible nuclear safetyimplications of the change.
2. Regulators advise to Local Councils onPlanning
TheHSE/NII is anon-statutory consultee, providing advice to Local Authorities withregard to planning applications in the vicinity of the Aldermastonand Burghfield sites. In August HSE/NII wrote to Basingstoke andDeane Borough Council advising against a proposed housingdevelopment on the Boundary Hall because of its size and closeproximity to the AWE site in relation to the AWE off-site plan.
TwoFoI requests for information were made to NII during the summerquarter in relation to AWE. While the regulator's report says itsupports making appropriate information available to the public itthens warn that time spent providing it has to be taken out of planned front line inspections at the AWE sites. This contradictionis worrying because the FoI system cannot work unless dedicatedstaff are employed to provide information in cooperation with theinspectors.
4. Improvement Noticeon Criticality Control
AWEhas until January 19th 2009 to complete the required improvements inthe documentation system associated with criticality risk to avoidlegal action by the regulators. By September, reported progress wasmixed although overall, AWE was making satisfactory progress.
NISLegal Challenge of the replacement of Trident
Adate has been set for the Nuclear Information Service Appeal, callingfor governmental accountability of the illegality of the replacement and maintenance of the UK's nuclear weapon systemproposed in the Government's White Paper, ‘TheFuture of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent',published on 4 December 2006. NIS's application for Appeal against the decision not to allow a judicial review of the Tridentdecision is listed to be heard on Monday 26thJanuary 2009 in the High Court, The Strand London at 10.30am.
NISUpdates
Previous issues of NISUpdates are available on the NIS website athttp://www.nuclearinfo.org/
