A warm welcome to the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership website and thank you for taking the time to visit.
Here you can access a range of resources and information, and our Latest News, to help you understand more about the Community Partnership and Geological Disposal, including what a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is, why it is required, and what it means for our community.
No decisions have been made about where a GDF could be sited as this requires both a suitable site and willing community. The Community Partnership’s role is to ensure that the community has all of the relevant information that they need in order to make an informed decision.
We are also here to advise on how to apply for Community Investment Funding as we continue to explore the subject with the public.
I am looking forward to meeting with people in the local community and listening to their views, you can attend our upcoming Events and Meetings and I encourage anyone who has questions or comments to get in touch with the NWS Contact Centre via the Contact Us page. You can also sign up to receive the latest updates from us below and follow us on social media.
Ged McGrath – Chair
A Geological Disposal Facility, or GDF, is an underground facility designed to safely and securely dispose of our radioactive waste – specifically ‘higher-activity’ waste (the most radioactive kind).
It involves building a series of specially designed and engineered vaults and tunnels deep underground. It could potentially be as deep as England’s tallest mountain, Scafell Pike, is high.
Once the waste is placed inside a GDF, the facility will eventually be permanently sealed. The way the facility is designed and engineered means it can be sealed to protect people and the environment for hundreds of thousands of years, without needing any maintenance, while the radioactivity fades away naturally.
Scientists and other authorities all over the world agree that a GDF is the safest way to deal with ‘higher-activity’ radioactive waste (the most radioactive kind) for the long term. This international consensus comes after decades of scientific research.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency will review the designs for a GDF, the proposed site, and the science that informs them, to make sure it protects people and the environment. A GDF will only be built if it can be shown to be safe for both people and the environment. As soon as construction starts on a GDF, the site will have to meet strict safety standards.
A Search Area that includes the electoral divisions of Millom and Millom Without is being investigated.
No areas which fall within the Lake District National Park or 2019 extension proposal will be considered to host a GDF.
Further information can be found in the Finding a suitable site tab.
A Community Partnership must have at least one relevant principal local authority, alongside the GDF developer and members of the community. The aim is for the membership to be reflective of the local community in the Search Area.
Please see the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership membership and read more about our role.
The Community Partnership will continue the conversations that the Working Group started, and work to develop a vision for the future of the community and provide answers to people’s questions.
Then much later, when everyone’s had plenty of time to get informed and make up their minds, there will be a Test of Public Support. This will take the form of something like a poll or referendum that lets every voter in the electoral wards around the proposed site have their say about a GDF. Without their support, the project will not go ahead.
What isA Geological Disposal Facility, or GDF, is an underground facility designed to safely and securely dispose of our radioactive waste – specifically ‘higher-activity’ waste (the most radioactive kind).
It involves building a series of specially designed and engineered vaults and tunnels deep underground. It could potentially be as deep as England’s tallest mountain, Scafell Pike, is high.
Once the waste is placed inside a GDF, the facility will eventually be permanently sealed. The way the facility is designed and engineered means it can be sealed to protect people and the environment for hundreds of thousands of years, without needing any maintenance, while the radioactivity fades away naturally.
Making sureScientists and other authorities all over the world agree that a GDF is the safest way to deal with ‘higher-activity’ radioactive waste (the most radioactive kind) for the long term. This international consensus comes after decades of scientific research.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency will review the designs for a GDF, the proposed site, and the science that informs them, to make sure it protects people and the environment. A GDF will only be built if it can be shown to be safe for both people and the environment. As soon as construction starts on a GDF, the site will have to meet strict safety standards.
Which area isA Search Area that includes the electoral divisions of Millom and Millom Without is being investigated.
No areas which fall within the Lake District National Park or 2019 extension proposal will be considered to host a GDF.
Further information can be found in the Finding a suitable site tab.
Who is part of the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership? A Community Partnership must have at least one relevant principal local authority, alongside the GDF developer and members of the community. The aim is for the membership to be reflective of the local community in the Search Area.
Please see the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership membership and read more about our role.
CommunityThe Community Partnership will continue the conversations that the Working Group started, and work to develop a vision for the future of the community and provide answers to people’s questions.
Then much later, when everyone’s had plenty of time to get informed and make up their minds, there will be a Test of Public Support. This will take the form of something like a poll or referendum that lets every voter in the electoral wards around the proposed site have their say about a GDF. Without their support, the project will not go ahead.
This interactive diagram explains more about the GDF siting process.
This interactive diagram explains more about the GDF siting process.
“Our group is committed to the local area and we are determined to develop a Community Partnership which is reflective of our community. A GDF is a major infrastructure project which has the potential to have a significant impact, and it’s therefore crucial that everybody within the Search Area has an opportunity to get answers to their questions and be involved in the discussion.”
Ged McGrath – Chair
