Agenda item

Report by Deputy Director for Environment & Economy (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning) (PN6)

 

This application is for a new Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) storage facility at Harwell Oxford Campus, to provide temporary safe storage for the solid ILW arising from the decommissioning of RSRL’s facilities at Harwell (Oxfordshire) and Winfrith (Dorset) and the JET (Joint European Torus) facility at Culham (Oxfordshire) and is being reported to this Committee as objections have been received to the proposal.

 

The report describes why the proposals have been put forward, outlines the consultation responses to the application and sets out relevant planning policies along with the comments and recommendation of the Deputy Director (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning) on the proposal.

 

The principle of locating an interim ILW storage facility at Harwell is supported by Government strategies and the emerging Oxfordshire Mineral and Waste Core strategy (OMWCS). The national need for ILW storage capacity coupled with the site’s location and minimum transportation constitutes the exceptional circumstances to locate this development in the AONB. Any potential impacts from the proposed development would not be significant and could be adequately controlled by conditions.

 

It is RECOMMENDED that subject to a routeing agreement to ensure that vehicles related to this development follow specific routes proposed in the application that Application No. MW.0183/12 be approved subject to conditions to be determined by the Deputy Director (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning) to include the following matters:

 

(1)               Complete accordance with approved plans;

(2)               Commencement within 3 years;

(3)               The ILW store shall be removed and the site restored by 2064.

(4)               The ILW store shall only be used for the storage of Intermediate Level Waste materials arising from Harwell, Culham and Winfrith;

(5)               No radioactive waste from Winfrith shall be brought to Harwell until a set amount of radioactive waste from Harwell has been moved to Sellafield;

(6)               No processing of waste on site

(7)               Construction operations (including the manoeuvring, loading or unloading of vehicles) shall only take place between the hours of:

·                    07:00 - 18:00 hours  Monday to Friday

·                    07:00 - 18:00 hours  Saturdays

·                    07:00 - 14:00 hours Sundays and Bank Holidays;

(8)               Measures to be taken to prevent the deposit of  mud and dust on the  highway;

(9)               All vehicles, plant and machinery operated within the site shall be fitted with and use effective silencers;

(10)          Submission of a scheme to deal with risks associated with the contamination of the site;

(11)          Submission of verification report demonstrating completion of works set out in the approved remediation strategy;

(12)          No piling or any other foundation designs using penetrative methods;

(13)          No infiltration of surface water drainage into the ground  from vehicle delivery areas;

(14)           No night working;

(15)          Submission of a detailed landscaping planting scheme prior to commencement of development;

(16)          No works of decommissioning until submission of an updated ecological survey;

(17)          Submission of a 5 year aftercare scheme for biodiversity enhancement within 1 year of commencement of development;

(18)          Submission of samples of all external materials for the roof and walls of the building prior to commencement of development;

(19)          No external lighting;

(20)          Records shall be kept of waste importation and exportation and made available on request to the County Planning Authority;

(21)          Submission and approval of a Construction/Demolition Traffic Management Plan before commencement of development;

(22)          Submission and approval of SUDS compliant Drainage Strategy before commencement of development.

 

The Committee considered an application for a new intermediate level waste (ILW) storage facility at Harwell Oxford Campus for the temporary safe storage for solid ILW arising from the decommissioning of RSRL’s facilities at Harwell (Oxfordshire) and Winfrith (Dorset) and the JET (Joint European Torus) facility at Culham (Oxfordshire).

 

Taufiq Islam confirmed that capacity at Sellafield was sufficient only for waste produced at that site with not extra capacity for waste from Winfrith.  He referred to the addenda sheet which detailed amendments to paragraph 17 and Condition 19 and set out comments from the county’s arboricultural officer who, having considered the tree survey submitted by the applicant to be acceptable had raised no objection.

 

Dr Sharp confirmed that East Hendred Parish Council had not objected to the element of this application which referred to storage of waste produced in Oxfordshire but had, as indeed had other parish councils in the area and the CPRE, objected to the importation of waste from Winfrith. That seemed to be driven by financial interests as a consequence of which the storage complex at Harwell was larger than it needed to be. It was felt that there was spare capacity at Sellafield and the full implications of the proposal had not been fully addressed.  There was no direct benefit to be gained by the local community from this proposal which would have waste stored within its environs for the next 50 years.

 

Terry Joslin considered the proposal integral to the civic expansion of the campus site.  Waste had been stored very securely on site for a long time without serious incident and the proposal to transfer benign waste onto the site meant that other sites could revert to green field status.  In economic terms Harwell was a significant focal point for the region. In planning terms this application had been scrutinised by officers, received a lot of support but only 4 objections.  Harwell had been a high level site for 65 years and the fears which had been expressed were unfounded and the national interest would not be best served if the application was refused.

 

Kevin Gleeson advised that work on this project had been ongoing for 2 years and would allow for the decommissioning and development of the campus site.  Any potential impact would be subject to tight controls and he endorsed the view put forward in the officers report (paragraph 69) regarding a justifiable case for importing waste rather than building 3 separate storage units.  Planning conditions would limit import of waste. Impact on the AONB had been fully considered and a case had been made for exceptional circumstances to build within the AONB.  The case for importing waste had been fully considered and endorsed by the nuclear decommissioning authority.

 

Andy Staples advised that Sellafield would be used to some extent. However,  providing one store would enable the complete closure of Winfrith and other sites and represented the best use of the national infrastructure in order to deal with this waste source.

 

Richard Lightowlers endorsed the comments made by the previous speakers and responded to questions from:

 

Councillor Greene – security would remain at current levels and  the proposal for wood cladding (paragraph 23) was purely aesthetic.  He confirmed it was not the type of waste which would be considered useful to terrorists.

 

Councillor Armitage – tritium was difficult to contain fully but any emanating from the store would fall within current tritium waste allowance limits for the site. 

 

Taufiq Islam confirmed that the Environment Agency had not considered that the tritium issue warranted an additional planning permission but only a small modification to the plan and building.

 

Andy Staples then responded to questions from:

 

Councillor Hannaby – as some canisters had started to deteriorate some waste was currently being repackaged and stored in the vault store and would remain at Harwell.  Other waste would be sent to Sellafield.  Waste from JET, Winfrith and Harwell would be stored in robust concrete boxes.

 

Councillor Fitzgerald-O’Connor – the movement of material would start within the next month or so and continue until 2021.  Other waste would be stored at Harwell until 2050.

 

Councillor Hayward – 25% of stored waste would come from Winfrith.

 

Matthew Clarke advised that the nuclear decommissioning authority was responsible for decommissioning and clearing up sites across the UK and ensuring the availability of disposal facilities. This application formed a critical part of that process.  He confirmed that every effort was being made to use assets in the best way possible which inevitably meant that some waste would need to be transported.

 

Councillor Iain Brown questioned the motives for importing material into Harwell and considered the proposal did not conform with policies in the minerals and waste strategy.  There were concerns with drainage from this site into local watercourses and ultimately the Thames. There was no perceived community gain from this application, which would see waste stored here for a considerable time and if there was any doubt in the minds of the Committee then further consideration should be given to the impacts of the proposal.

 

Responding to a question from Councillor Hannaby Councillor Brown accepted that waste would be more stable whilst being stored and that the waste would eventually be moved but he still questioned the acceptability of transporting waste from Winfrith to Harwell.

 

Taufiq Islam confirmed that community benefit was not a planning consideration.

 

Councillor Tanner felt that generally speaking waste should be left where it was generated and that for some time the expectation had been for provision of a central geological deposit store. That now seemed unlikely to happen and it should reasonably be expected that this waste would be stored here for a longer period than had been indicated.  He did not consider Winfrtih’s waste to be Oxfordshire’s problem and suspected the proposal was to some extent  financially driven.

 

He moved and Councillor Sanders seconded that the recommendation in the officers report be accepted but with the exclusion of waste imported from Winfrith. 

 

Councillor Greene expressed some concerns regarding safety during transfer.

 

Taufiq islam confirmed that that process would be monitored and regulated.

 

Councillor Crabbe thanked officers for their response to detailed written questions which he had submitted regarding the application but referred to concerns he had regarding the imprecise terms for low, intermediate and high levels of waste and asked whether a specific maximum level could be applied to the intermediate level.

 

Mr Staples advised that a definition of radiation field would be displayed on boxes and that the maximum was a clearly defined level.

 

Taufiq islam confirmed that Councillor Crabbe’s concerns would be covered under Condition 1.

 

Matthew Clarke added that high level waste was heat generating and only stored at Sellafield.  The sore at Harwell was unsuitable for that type of waste.  Intermediate level of waste was not a top limit but limits to be applied to transportation would help define safety.

 

The motion by Councillor Tanner was then put to the Committee and lost by 10 votes to 3.

 

Councillor Hannaby then moved and Councillor Nimmo-Smith seconded that the officer recommendation as printed in the report be approved subject to the amendment to Condition 19 as set out in the addenda.  The motion was put to the Committee and carried by 12 votes to 2.

 

RESOLVED: that subject to a routeing agreement to ensure that vehicles related to this development follow specific routes proposed in the application that Application No. MW.0183/12 be approved subject to conditions to be determined by the Deputy Director (Strategy and Infrastructure Planning) to include the following matters:

(1)               Complete accordance with approved plans;

(2)               Commencement within 3 years;

(3)               The ILW store should be removed and the site restored by 2064;

(4)               The ILW store should only be used for the storage of Intermediate Level Waste materials arising from Harwell, Culham and Winfrith;

(5)               No radioactive waste from Winfrith should be brought to Harwell until a set amount of radioactive waste from Harwell had been moved to Sellafield;

(6)               No processing of waste on site;

(7)               Construction operations (including the manoeuvring, loading or unloading of vehicles) should only take place between the hours of:

·                   07:00 - 18:00 hours  Monday to Friday

·                   07:00 - 18:00 hours  Saturdays

·                   07:00 - 14:00 hours Sundays and Bank Holidays;

(8)               Measures to be taken to prevent the deposit of  mud and dust on the  highway;

(9)               All vehicles, plant and machinery operated within the site should be fitted with and use effective silencers;

(10)          Submission of a scheme to deal with risks associated with the contamination of the site;

(11)          Submission of verification report demonstrating completion of works set out in the approved remediation strategy;

(12)          No piling or any other foundation designs using penetrative methods;

(13)          No infiltration of surface water drainage into the ground  from vehicle delivery areas;

(14)           No night working;

(15)          Submission of a detailed landscaping planting scheme prior to commencement of development;

(16)          No works of decommissioning until submission of an updated ecological survey;

(17)          Submission of a 5 year aftercare scheme for biodiversity enhancement within 1 year of commencement of development;

(18)          Submission of samples of all external materials for the roof and walls of the building prior to commencement of development;

(19)          No floodlighting should be erected on site;

(20)          Records should be kept of waste importation and exportation and made available on request to the County Planning Authority;

(21)          Submission and approval of a Construction/Demolition Traffic Management Plan before commencement of development;

(22)          Submission and approval of SUDS compliant Drainage Strategy before commencement of development.

 

The Committee acknowledged the work carried out by Taufiq Islam on a very complicated application.