Lincolnshire County Council looks to withdraw from plan that could see nuclear waste development built near Louth

Lincolnshire County Council is looking to withdraw from a process that could lead to a nuclear waste facility being built in the county.

Conservative leader Martin Hill has announced his intention to leave Nuclear Waste Services' Community Partnership, a move aimed at cancelling the company's consideration of Lincolnshire as a potential host for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).

In January, NWS —formerly known as Radioactive Waste Management—identified three 'areas of focus' for the facility. These included locations in Mid Copeland and South Copeland in Cumbria, as well as land between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton, near Louth.

As a result, East Lindsey District Council leader Councillor Craig Leyland (Con) pledged to withdraw from the working group, citing concerns that the site was completely different from the former gas terminal location in Theddlethorpe, which had previously been under consideration.

Coun Hill had also raised concerns over the new site being open countryside and had planned to hold a public vote by 2027 to gauge residents' opinions.

However, following public uproar, which included a protest outside an East Lindsey District Council meeting earlier this month, Coun Hill now intends to bring the proposal to withdraw from the partnership to the council’s executive, though no date has been set for the meeting.

“When we took up Nuclear Waste Services’ (NWS, then called ‘Radioactive Waste Management’) invitation to join a working group in 2021, we did so with an open mind, knowing that residents themselves could make the decision as to whether it was right for the area," said Coun Hill.

“We wanted residents to be able to understand the full extent of the opportunities and consequences that would come with the building of a GDF in Lincolnshire.

“At that time, the site earmarked for the development was an old gas terminal in Theddlethorpe – a brownfield site. Since then, the area that NWS is considering for the entry point to the GDF has shifted to open farmland, a couple of miles up the coast and further inland.

“This changes the very nature of the proposal and, understandably, raised further concerns within the local community.

“Whilst we have tried to maintain an open mind towards the plans, we are now several years on from this first being suggested, and big questions still remain to be answered about the scale of the development and how this waste would get there.

“We had planned to put the decision on whether to remain within the partnership to a public vote next year, but it has become increasingly apparent that the community is getting frustrated with the uncertainty and slow pace of this process.

“Unless NWS can provide significant further details about their plans that would reassure the local community and comprehensively explain the benefits and costs, it is my intention to withdraw from the process altogether.

“This will need to be a formal decision, taken at a meeting of the council’s executive.

“NWS require at least one of the local councils to remain involved in the working group in order to progress the Lincolnshire GDF option. Following East Lindsey District Council’s withdrawal from the group earlier this month, our decision would effectively cancel NWS’ plans to build a nuclear waste facility in Lincolnshire.”

While facing questions from protesters outside the ELDC meeting, Coun Leyland warned that even if the county council withdraws from the partnership, there would be "no guarantee" that the process would end.

"This is where national politics come into play. We've seen the local issues of the pylons, onshore wind turbines, and solar farms being pushed onto communities by government policy.

"Unfortunately, government at the moment has the means, in terms of a majority in parliament, to do near enough what they want."

Responding to the news, Simon Hughes, NWS siting and communities director, said: “We understand Lincolnshire County Council’s (LCC) current position. LCC has advocated for residents to have the opportunity to have access to the information they need to make an informed decision about hosting a GDF. Their participation is playing a key role in facilitating conversations with local people about the process, its implications, and potential benefits.

“NWS has held many public events and produced dedicated websites, newsletters, and met regularly with local people and stakeholders. We have to date granted over £2million to support local community projects for engaging in the process. Longer-term, a GDF has the potential to provide the host community with significant opportunities for a local workforce, skills, and education, as well as many other benefits such as improvements to local transport and infrastructure.

“The UK Government’s GDF siting process in England and Wales is consent-based and requires NWS to identify both a suitable site and a willing host community. This means if the community does not ultimately express support for a GDF, it won’t be built there.”

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