Statement from The Wainwright Society about the possible siting of a Nuclear Waste Repository in West Cumbria

The Wainwright Society recognises that the provision of a nuclear waste repository is a matter of national concern and a major challenge for the 21st century but it is not the remit of the Society to comment on the arguments for or against the need for such a facility.

However, if a nuclear waste repository was to be constructed in West Cumbria, the Society would be very concerned if it was proposed to site the facility either wholly or partly within the Lake District National Park. It is the Society’s contention that if such a project was contemplated, the resulting damage to the landscape during the investigation and construction stages, continuing for many years, would be highly likely to result in lasting, permanent damage to the upland landscape. The Society would also view with alarm any development that could harm the rich diversity of the flora and fauna of the fells and valleys of western Lakeland.

The infrastructure that would be required to complete such a building project would have a permanent, damaging effect on the wild and remote character of the area; a development that would be wholly inappropriate.

Alfred Wainwright’s final book in his Pictorial Guides, The Western Fells, described in meticulous detail the fells of this quiet corner of Lakeland. Wainwright loved the remoteness of this area and was particularly fascinated by the historical antiquities that he discovered during his explorations in the 1960s.

If a site, either wholly or partly within the National Park, was recommended for further investigation and development, it is inevitable that the Society would object in the strongest possible terms to such a proposal.

Derek Cockell
Press & Publicity Officer