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The following perfectly reasonable questions were asked of the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership by a local Parish Councillor.
Q:Has the Drigg area "done its bit" in already hosting the LLWR? " A: "It is not for the Partnership to speculate on the possible siting of a GDF"
The "Partnership" revealed that all replies to questions are "managed" by Nuclear Waste Services. Perfectly reasonable questions are met with the reply that "this is not for the Partnership to express an opinion" and that the questioner should "raise the issue with your MP" - the MP in question being pro-nuclear dump Trudy Harrison!!
The full text of South Copeland GDF Community Partnership's reply is below:
Thank you for your email dated 21st April 2023 with several questions for the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership.
Just so you are aware, all enquiries addressed to the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership are managed by the Nuclear Waste Services Contact Management Team however the answers have been drafted and approved by the Community Partnership.
Please find The Community Partnership’s answers below to each of your questions. The Community Partnership will discuss how they responded during the meeting on Tuesday 16th May so you will be able to hear the discussion or it will be recorded in the minutes which will published on the website.
When are you as a community partnership, not the developer. Going to investigate the negative impact that a kilometre square headworks for a gdf will have on a beautiful rural landscape and rural village community, on the edge of the world heritage site and world famous lake District national park. For example a kilometre square will take up a large amount of land within the parish that does not lie within the national park. I.e the only location could be north of drigg, and so extremely close to people's homes.
· The Partnership is about to publish its workplan for this year in its forthcoming newsletter and has committed to commissioning a report on the impact of a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in South Copeland. The Partnership will ensure the scope is shared with interested members of the community once it is drafted and there will be an opportunity for you to share your views.
It is not for the Partnership to speculate on the possible siting of a GDF however we are fully aware of the setting of the Lake District National Park, hence its exclusion from the process. We have two Partnership members whose particular expertise sits with the protection and enhancement of the Lake District National Parks, Cumbria Landscapes, Friend of the Lake District and Sustainable Duddon.
Does the community partnership feel that as drigg already hosts the llwr, that it has done " it's bit" and should not have another development in the immediate part of the parish?
· It is not for the Partnership to speculate on the possible siting of a GDF.
Does the community partnership feel that the current electoral ward based test of support is unacceptable? Given that a electoral ward is not a community but a given area with a large enough population to meet the criteria for a councilor at local level.
· As a partnership we have to operate within the boundaries of government policy and it’s not for the Partnership to express an opinion. Please raise this with your MP.
Does the community partnership agree that it would fair that the directly affected village or town has the final test of support? That it is unfair that drigg for example would vote on a site near Haverigg and vice versa?
· As a partnership we have to operate within the boundaries of government policy and it’s not for the Partnership to express an opinion. Please raise this with your MP.
Has the community partnership started having independent estate agents value property in and around the available site locations outside the national park? If not are they going to? As a bench mark going forward. I for one would not trust a valuation done by the developer or a company employed by them.
· This is not the responsibility of the Partnership.
Has the community partnership liaised with the local council to ensure that property purchase searches include the gdf and it's search areas? If not are they going to? As I for one would not move here knowing this process is ongoing.
· It is not the responsibility of the Partnership to inform the public on the councils policy for house search areas. The Partnership are not in a position to answer the question and it needs to be directed to Cumberland Council.
Is the community partnership going to liaise with independent estate agents to monitor the impact of the gdf process on house sales? If not is it going to?
· This is not the responsibility of the Partnership.
Is the community partnership going to have residents on the community partnership that oppose a gdf in their parish? If not why not?
· Anyone can apply to be a member of the Partnership – the information is on the South Copeland GDF Community Partnership website. However please note that the members do not sit on the Partnership as for or against the possible siting of a GDF, they are there as representatives of their community’s and will discuss all views and questions.
Why are the minutes of the previous meeting so slow to come on to the website? Does the community partnership agree that it would be fair to have previous meeting minutes of on the website two weeks before the next meeting? If not why not? Surely it would be good project management and fair in the spirit of open transparency of the process?
· It was agreed by all Partnership members that draft minutes would not be published on the website prior to approval at the next meeting.
· Going forward, we will trial hosting the public forum at the end of Community Partnership meetings to ensure that members of the public have the opportunity to ask questions on the business of the meeting.
For more information about our work In South Copeland please visit our website at https://southcopeland.workinginpartnership.org.uk.
If you have any questions or if you would like further information, please get in touch via the website, by email to GDFinfo-SouthCopeland@nda.gov.uk or by calling us on 0300 369 0000 (lines are open Monday – Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm excluding bank holidays).
Lucy
Nuclear Waste Services Contact Management Team
Love that they say it is not for them to speculate on the siting of GDF having spent £millions on seismic blasting 'to investigate the geology' centred off Sellafield !!
I do not actually understand what type of person writes this and is involved in this type of protectionism; do they not have children too; do they not care for their children's future; do they not understand this is a most tenuous moment when total transparency is needed by all, and all need to be working in unison towards resolving an excruciating problem that ties to global pollution and a fast-approaching cut-off-date for continuance of a sustainable planet...it begs the question again, why are those leading actually leading...
Shocking answers to perfectly reasonable questions. And what a nonsense to have decided that the minutes of the meeting are not circulated until the meeting following. That is criminal obscurification. These responses clearly indicate that Nuclear Waste Services Contact Management Team are not carrying out their duty of care as regards the people who live in the area, but are using passive agression to achieve thier goal to foist this burden onto these decent folk.