Two Lincolnshire council leaders are proposing that a public vote about a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) being potentially sited in Theddlethorpe, should take place within the next 4 years.
Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, and Cllr Craig Leyland, leader of East Lindsey District Council, are both members of the community partnership, set up by Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) to ensure residents can make an informed choice as to whether a GDF is right for their area.
Both leaders have now set out their preference for a ‘test of public support’ to take place by 2027.
Cllr Hill said: “The county council agreed to be part of the community partnership to ensure residents and businesses in the Theddlethorpe area are well informed about what a GDF would mean for them.
“We have been talking about this idea for a number of years already and what we are suggesting will give ample time for people to have formed an opinion and for the community to take a vote.”
Cllr Leyland said: “This process is all about listening to local views, and that’s exactly what we are doing, and what the test of public support will do. Indecision and uncertainty about the future use of the site that goes on for too long, will not benefit residents and they deserve to know when they will get to make a final decision.”
Geological disposal involves isolating radioactive waste underground, inside a suitable rock volume that ensures that no harmful amounts of radioactivity can reach the surface environment. A GDF would be a highly engineered structure featuring multiple barriers providing protection over hundreds of thousands of years.
