Harwell Science and Innovation Campus 392.10 Rutherford Avenue Didcot Oxon OX11 0RA Telephone: 01235 435234 Facsimile: 01235 436899 January 2009 Response NDA Business Plan Consultation
Dear Sirs Response to NDA Draft Business Plan I am writing on behalf of the Local Stakeholder Group at Harwell in response to the consultation on the NDA Draft Business Plan. We feel it would be useful to remind the NDA of the final statement formally agreed by the Harwell LSG following the NDA Site End State Consultation. “The Harwell LSG recommends that the End State for Harwell should be a 100% delicensed site by 2020”. The LSG is keen to ensure that the Business Plan continues to support this site endstate and timescale. At the very least we hope that it will allow the site to be cleared by 2025 as indicated in the currently published NDA strategy. We note with concern that the Business Plan now omits any priority release of land for the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. Government policy, as per the government’s Budget 2006 stated:“The Government will look to develop these campuses (Harwell and Daresbury) so as to ensure that the facilities located here are internally competitive, support worldclass science, and maximise opportunities for knowledge transfer…”. We feel strongly that the restoration of the Harwell site must continue in a timely manner. It would be totally inappropriate for parts of the Harwell site to move into a care and maintenance state when it sits amongst prestigious projects such as the Diamond Light Source and the high tech Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Medical Research Council facilities. The UK’s inability to restore the Harwell nuclear site within this campus would be incongruous in the context of major government investment in these adjacent flagship scientific projects. Indeed there is evidence
that we have lost at least one major company who wanted to invest in the Campus. Clearly, whilst the Harwell site remains un-restored, there is a risk of an accident at the site (albeit a very low probability) which could threaten operations at these world class projects and hence seriously damage the UK’s reputation internationally. The LSG believes that this risk should be removed as quickly as possible. In light of Government announcements regarding nuclear re-build we feel it would improve the public’s confidence in the programme if it could be demonstrated that existing nuclear legacy can be dealt with competently and in a safe and environmentally friendly way. The LSG believes it is very important that the NDA seeks to maintain and develop UK skills in the whole of the decommissioning cycle, from front end hazard reduction to final clearance of sites and land remediation. The business plan refers to a possible lead site to be used to demonstrate this, but we believe more than one site should be looked for to strengthen the argument. We believe there is merit in progressing at least two sites of difference classes, i.e. that at least one Magnox and one research site should be considered. The Harwell LSG has reservations about the key job losses that have already occurred and we consider that part of the NDA’s remit should be to develop and retain decommissioning skills. The LSG is concerned that in light of the current economic downturn the government could make cuts in the NDA’s budget leading to further job losses and an extension in the end date of the site. This is not what local communities want. We feel there is no economic sense to mothballing parts of Harwell as house-keeping costs will then go on indefinitely. The house-keeping costs of keeping the site safe and secure will cost in excess of £30m per annum and over 20 years in excess of £500m. There is a general problem with the care and maintenance approach with some buildings, already over 40 years old, degrading and becoming non repairable. An injection of £50m would make a major contribution in completing all the ancillary facilities and contaminated land issued at Harwell. We believe further funding cuts and job losses must be avoided if decommissioning is to continue at the site. In summary the LSG and the local community does not wish to see any stalling in the hazard reduction and site restoration programme at Harwell. Any such delay risks the NDA’s Harwell site becoming a blight on the otherwise prestigious Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. It would add to job insecurity and mean that the local community must continue to live next to these nuclear hazards for longer than is necessary. We look forward to a positive response on our views. Yours faithfully
Terry Joslin Chairman – Local Stakeholder Group