‘We cannot be involved in the process!’ East Lindsey District Council to withdraw from nuclear waste site plans near Louth

East Lindsey District Council is looking to withdraw from the process that could lead to a nuclear waste site being built in Theddlethorpe.

In 2021, the council was invited by Radioactive Waste Management, now Nuclear Waste Services, to join a Working Group exploring whether the former gas terminal in the village would be a suitable location for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).

However, after reviewing the potential use of the site, the government agency has instead identified four square kilometres of land between Gayton le Marsh and Great Carlton as a possible location.

Coun Craig Leyland, the Conservative leader of ELDC, explained that the council initially joined the process to understand the potential benefits of using the brownfield former gas terminal site.

But, as the new area has never had any previous industrial use and is prime agricultural land 'on the margin of the Wolds', the council has had to reconsider its position.

As a result, and after listening to community voices, he has promised to recommend at the next appropriate meeting of the council's Executive that it unilaterally withdraw from the process to site a GDF in East Lindsey.

"We feel we cannot be involved in the process," Coun Leyland said, pointing out that the location could also have pylons running through it if central government approves National Grid's Grimsby to Walpole proposals.

"The use of a brownfield site on the coast where a former facility had operated for over 40 years without local objection is completely different to a green field site in open countryside.

"The new site would also need attendant connecting infrastructure in the same sensitive countryside that the pylons would be scarring.

"We also need to consider the progress that the Community Partnership has made in being the liaison between NWS and wider community. As the Leader of ELDC I have had to acknowledge at full council, that the engagement process has been clumsy, interrupted and not generally seen as helpful.

"The four-year timescale to this point is disappointing and frustrating in equal measure.

"It is only in recent months that the flow of more relevant information has been appropriate but both NWS and the Community Partnership have had to recognise that the engagement and consultation process had not been effective or informative in the way we had anticipated or hoped for.

"It has only achieved one thing and that is to unnecessarily antagonise and distress our residents and communities."

Coun Leyland added that Lincolnshire County Council still remains in the process and would also need to withdraw to end it altogether.

The county council has previously committed to a test of public support by 2027, but ELDC won’t be a part of this if it chooses to withdraw.

"As a local planning authority, we (ELDC) will still be in contact with NWS while LCC are still involved," he said.

When asked if he felt LCC would follow suit and withdraw from the process, he responded: "They will have to make their own judgement. They are very sensitive to the situation with elections coming up."

Coun Leyland sympathised with residents and fellow councillors who have opposed the process over the past few years, but pointed out that £3m has been committed to local community projects in the area.

In January, NWS confirmed it had shortlisted three sites for the GDF, including East Lindsey. Communities in Mid Copeland and South Copeland in Cumbria had also been identified as Areas of Focus.

Responding to the news, a spokesperson for the government agency stated: “NWS extends its gratitude to ELDC and Coun Craig Leyland, leader of the council, for their engagement and commitment throughout the GDF siting process.

“Their willingness to explore the potential for a GDF in the search area, alongside other members of the Community Partnership, has been invaluable in ensuring an open and informed discussion about the future for long-term disposal of radioactive waste.

"Their participation has played a key role in facilitating public dialogue and providing people in the search area with opportunities to learn more about the process, its implications, and potential benefits.

“NWS appreciates the time, effort, and dedication that ELDC has contributed to this nationally important infrastructure project.

"We recognise the ELDC’s commitment to representing all their communities’ voices and engaging in constructive conversations about the GDF siting process. And we understand their decision to withdraw from the process.

“For a Community Partnership to meet the UK Government’s policy, at least one relevant Principal Local Authority must be a member.

"We remain fully committed to working with Lincolnshire County Council as the remaining relevant principal local authority in the Community Partnership as we continue the search for a suitable site for a GDF.”