Don't make us nuclear scrapyard
A DEFIANT message has been delivered to defence chiefs over plans to scrap nuclear submarines in Plymouth: 'the fight starts now'.
Council leader Vivien Pengelly was speaking as the Ministry of Defence announced it will host a meeting in Plymouth on Friday over the controversial Submarine Dismantling Project. The project could see 27 de-fuelled nuclear submarines stored and cut up at Devonport Naval Base over the next 60 years.
Key city figures, MPs and MoD officials have been invited to the behind-closed-doors meeting.
"I will be doing everything I can in my power to stop this in Plymouth," Cllr Pengelly said.
"We cannot possibly have Plymouth being known as a nuclear dump. There is great concern in Plymouth and across the West Country about this issue. We just can't let it happen."
Plymouth is the first city to host a project meeting.
Numerous more will be held across the country in the coming months.
Cllr Pengelly said she had been told that the work would create an extra 200 jobs in Plymouth.
But she added that you have to put that into context. "You have to weigh it up," Cllr Pengelly said. "Two hundred jobs is obviously a great boost to the economy but this facility would leave a blemish on Plymouth."
South West Devon MP, Gary Streeter supported Cllr Pengelly.
"I will join the council leader on the barricades on this one," he said.
"I have profound reservations about this project because it will cut right across the future of our city which is all to do with 'green' and 'marine'.
"We will have a nuclear scrapyard in the centre of our city.
"I hope the Government is not dumping this on us."
Plymouth Devonport MP, Alison Seabeck, said: "This will be a meeting about how we will do the consultation.
"This is very much the initial process. It is very much at the first stage. We will all have different views I'm sure."
When asked if she was in favour of the project being based in Plymouth, Mrs Seabeck added: "I am waiting to see all the evidence and to listen to the concerns of my constituents."
In July The Herald revealed that public consultations on plans to cut up and dispose of nuclear submarines in Devonport was likely to start by November.
This Friday's meeting will be followed by a series of consultation events which are likely to last into spring next year.
An announcement on 'preferred locations' for the decommissioning project is expected to be announced in 2010.
The issue of storing and dismantling nuclear submarines has been a controversial topic for several years in Plymouth.
Fears were raised in May when the Government's Armed Forces Minister, Bob Ainsworth, visited Devonport Naval Base to announce a radical shake-up of operations under the Maritime Change Programme.
While the news signalled a bleak future for the Royal Navy in Plymouth, the dockyard's workforce were reported to have received the news with a positive air.
Concerned parties stated they did not want Plymouth to end up as a 'nuclear graveyard'.
Plymouth's TUC, Unison and anti-nuclear group CND will stage two mass demonstrations against the dismantling proposals on October 31 in Plymouth.
One will take place in the city centre. The other will be held in Devonport Park, which overlooks the naval base.
Organisers are hoping for a huge turnout with campaigners attending from across the country.
Leaflets advertising the demonstrations have been delivered to hundreds of homes near the naval base.
Speaking from Ministry of Defence headquarters in Whitehall, London, a spokesman said no decisions had been made about where the project would take place, or indeed where the radioactive waste will be stored before it is moved to a national storage facility in around 2040.
"No decision over where the dismantling is to take place has been made, hence the reason why we are holding meetings in different locations," the spokesman said.
"Invitations have gone out to all the key figures in these locations. Plymouth will be the first in the series of meetings on Friday."
Plymouth Sutton MP Linda Gilroy was unavailable for comment.
Comment – Page 10
18 Comments
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by jockmcspredder, Plymouth
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 11:11PM
“Jobs are vital and, while it is all well & good to comment on the safety record - to date- the proposed future use of the yard i.e. business & residential in this environment is more worrying.
So far they have been able to keep terrorists out (assuming any have tried to get in) but kids living on-site will always find a way to get in.”
by Mike, Plymouth
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 10:19PM
“Plymouth will go down in history for Violence, pedofiles, terrorists and a nuclear dump.
what a fine city we live in !!!!
It paints an attractive destination to live, work and holiday in.
What a great shame Plymouth has come to this.”
by Radio Active, Who Realy Cares
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 9:26PM
“Plymouth is being used as the
decom center for the fleet.
Scotland do not want it.
The Government is Scottish.
Radioactive waste is being stored in Plymouth.
It is not "Low Level"
Radioactive Waste is being dumped in the Tamar.
Regulated Levels have been increased so they comply.
Comments”
by Phil, Engineered Ivory Tower, Plympton Town
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 8:01PM
“The reactor core is never 'cut' up.
The spent fuel cells are removed and sent to sellafield for reprocessing, the control rods also go to sellafield or dounrea for storage.
Leaving just the Pressure vessle. This will be left in storage until a soloution is found to disapose of this lump of metal safely.”
by Phil, Engineered Ivory Tower, Plympton Town
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 7:58PM
“The disposal of radioactive waste is graded as High Level, Meduim Level, and Low Level.
The overalls that nuclear workers wear and that of what you the reader wear when you visit dartmoor is equivalent to low level waste. The dartmoor rambler recieves a higher dose of radiation than the radiation worker who does a weekly 40 shift. FACT
Meduim level waste such as coolant fromt he secondary circuit, water from cooling ponds, pipework and metal work surrounding the reactor is classed as medium level waste. This generally can have a half life of between 2 hours and 7 days dependant on which radioactive chemical is involved.
High Level waste can be classified as spent fuel rods, the actual reactor its self, the control rods that control the reaction rate in the reactor, and anything that comes into direct contact with any of the above.
All radioactive waste has a half life. depending on what the chemical is the half life can range from one minute to 100's of years.
Half life explained is for ever unit of time the objects radioactivity is half of what it used to be, and then half again and half of half ect ect.
We are exposed as a population to more harmful radiation from surroundings and the sun than we are from nuclear projects.
Technology has moved on from chernobyl, so has our knowledge of radiation.
It is not a evil, we as a race just need to learn hpw to use and manage it effectively.
If those of you that will sit here and just comment for the sake of it, just do some informed research on the net, dont just look at the first hit on Wikipedia.”
by Jeremy, Stoke
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 7:32PM
“The cutting up of the reactor cores is unecessary, they can be stored relatively safely, as other countries do, until such time as scientific advance allows them to be permanently disposed. The centre of a major city is not the best place to store nuclear waste, exposing 250,000 to the risk in the unlikely event that there is a serious accident. The nuclear dockyard should close and the skilled workforce should be redeploed in green jobs to tackle climate change. Those who share this vision should join PTUC and CND demonstration on 31st October, aganist Plymouth becoming a nuclear dump.”
by Mu, Plymouth
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 7:17PM
“So Seabeck is waiting to decide wether or not to support the nuclear dump and Gilroy is not available for comment.
Vivian Pengelly is right to reject this plan from the outset. Why the hell would we want 200 jobs and have Plymouth become a nuclear dump!.
Bring on the general election as the Labour party is rapidly turning this city into a dump led by dopey Gordon.
TIME FOR A CHANGE.”
by David Mavin, Eggbuckland
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 6:37PM
“It is suggested in the report that this would create an extra 200 jobs, but how many jobs currently in Devonport Royal Dockyard will be affected if this work does not come here.
Mrs Pengelly is right in her current capacity to raise concerns that all of us have about the project, but this decision has to have the backing of the majority in this city not just the politicians or the key figures.
We might even be able to use the decision to decommission the subs in Devonport as a crutch to improve the transport infrastructure, especially if the storage of the radioactive waste is stored elsewhere, that is of course if any businesses would want to settle in the perception of a nuclear town (which of course it currently is).
This will not be a pretty fight from both sides of the argument but an open, balanced consultation process with a public vote is the only way forward and if it is proven that this (the work coming here) is wrong for the city then regardless of political persuasion or pressure put on this city from central government we should all rally behind a banner reading
MoD Nuclear Dumping Facility - Keep Out”
by dan, plymouth
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 6:23PM
“why not???
plymouth is fast becoming a violent city and a dump so bring it on,”
by johnno, pennycomequick
Wednesday, October 21 2009, 6:21PM
“these concerned councillors are now coming out of the wood work , and making us believe that they are concerned about the people , must be getting near election time again”