NIS Nuclear Information Service | nuclear sites/planning

AWE Burghfield planning permission conditional on HSE approval

West Berkshire Council's Eastern Area Planning Committee has agreed to renew planning permission for a Conventional Manufacturing Facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield – but only on condition that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirms that it has no objections to the development on nuclear safety grounds in the light of the Fukushima nuclear accident.

AWE Burghfield planning application resubmitted

The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) has submitted a planning application to West Berkshire Council to extend the time limit for construction of a new conventional manufacturing rationalisation (CMR) facility at AWE Burghfield.

Planning permission for the facility was originally granted in August 2008, with building work scheduled to commence within three years. AWE has stated that construction of the new facility has not yet commenced because resources have had to be directed towards higher priority projects, and so a new application has been submitted to extend the time limit before planning permission expires.

Public inquiry into AWE safety extended by four days

The Boundary Hall planning inquiry into development in the emergency planning zone at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston is to be extended by four days to allow evidence into public safety to be fully examined.

Investment spending at AWE rockets to £1 billion per year

A low-key parliamentary statement has announced that investment spending at the Atomic Weapons Establishment will increase to an average of £1 billion per year between now and 2013.

WBC Report MENSA

AWE Burghfield Planning Application for a Dis/Assembly facility to be decided. WBC Planning Committee Meeting 6.30pm Wednesday 4th March 2009, Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury, Berks.

see Planning Officer's Report

1000 comments on new Nuclear warhead facility

Some 1,000 comments have been lodged over a plan to modernise a nuclear warhead facility in Berkshire. Many people raised concerns over flooding at the proposed new facility at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment.

BBC 20th Feb 2009

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/7901361.stm

Objection to MoD Planning Application: 08/02287/COMIND

The requirement for AWE to improve the safety of its warhead disassembly bunkers is not disputed. In 2007 NIS published ‘How Safe is AWE Burghfield?’ a report based on FoI disclosures documenting the safety failures of the existing ‘Gravel Gertie’ (GG) facilities and addressing the dilemma in which the MoD found itself. In 2006 and 2007 the HSE Nuclear Inspectorate (NI) pressed AWE to close the facility until essential safety improvements could be carried out. The MoD refused on ‘national security‘ grounds. Eventually the NI secured an agreement that warhead work would only be carried out under a single-operation permissioning regime, which continues today. This emergency arrangement ensures that no work is done by AWE before the NI have inspected the buildings on each occasion permission is requested.