Fears of cumulative new development in the AWE safety zone have meant plans for a storage centre in Aldermaston are being called before a council committee.
Fears of cumulative new development in the AWE safety zone mean plans for a storage centre in Aldermaston are being called before a council committee.
West Berkshire Council’s eastern area planning committee will consider the proposed development at Youngs Industrial Estate on Paices Hill against the policies of the development plan and relevant material considerations, and will decide whether to approve or refuse the application after Aldermaston councillor Dominic Boeck called it in.
Mr Boeck is concerned on behalf of the parish that increasingly new development is being approved in the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ) under delegated authority, which is potentially putting public safety at risk.
Aldermaston Parish Council objects to the retrospective planning application and shares AWE and the Office for Nuclear Regulation safety concerns, especially about the potential cumulative effect of so many developments in the area which might individually be regarded as insignificant.
“The potential for a cumulative impact of such schemes over the years this could compromise the future operational capability of the AWE in terms of using ionising radiation in its research with implications for national security,” said AWE.
“This should take precedence in the decision making process.
“The application is contrary to policy and so should be refused.”
But West Berkshire Council’s emergency planning officer has examined the emergency plan, saying: “I have now had a chance to review the attached plan and am content with it.” The measures within the emergency plan include using the portable building as emergency shelter.
The application seeks planning permission for the regularisation of an existing storage use with an ancillary office at the Youngs Industrial Estate. The operator is a vacuum excavation company employing seven people. The council planning team considers the site does meet policy requirements and has recommended it for approval.
Niki Hinman, Local Democracy Reporter
