THE Government and Opposition parties have welcomed the British Government's decision to reject plans by UK Nirex Limited for a £1.8 billion nuclear waste dump at Sellafield.
The British Environment Secretary's dismissal of a planning appeal over the proposed Nirex nuclear waste plant was described by the Minister of State with responsibility for nuclear safety, Mr Emmet Stagg, yesterday as "a very significant victory" for Ireland.
Fianna Fail's environment spokesman, Mr Noel Dempsey, said that it was a testament to the success of the "cohesive" Irish lobby.
Announcing the decision yesterday, the British Environment Secretary, Mr John Gummer, said he was concerned about "scientific uncertainties" and "technical deficiencies" in the Nirex proposals. He also agreed with the findings of the inspector at last year's public inquiry that the appeal should be dismissed on the grounds of "poor design, layout and arrangements for access" to the proposed waste dump.
Significantly, Mr Gummer also concurred with the inspector's conclusions that the people of Ireland had "a legitimate interest in proposal for a repository for radioactive waste near the Irish sea coast". Mr Gummer said that he was "acutely aware" of the British Government's obligations to "other states", as set out in various international marine and environmental obligations.
Last week Mr Stagg had warned the British Government that if the waste dump did go ahead, it would be a "bone of contention" between the two countries for years to come. Nirex had proposed to build an underground rock characterisation facility (RCF) as the first stage of a nuclear waste dump on land near the Sellafield plant. The company planned to construct two underground shafts, nearly 1020m in depth, and to carry out exploratory drilling in the shafts.
However, local residents were astonished by the plan to bury larger and larger amounts of nuclear material so close to their homes, while scientists expressed concern about safety in a geologically complex area. In a leaked memo last January, the company's own chief scientist warned that it might "struggle to make a case for the site".
Nirex said last night that the company was "very honestly disappointed", and refused to comment on whether it would challenge the decision in the courts, or if it would be looking at other sites on which to build the facility.
The decision elicited a widespread positive response in the Republic. The Fianna Fail environment spokesman, Mr Dempsey, questioned whether it had been timed to coincided with the announcement of the general election date, or whether it might be reversed in the future. However, the decision would help Ireland's case for the closure of the Thorp reprocessing plant, he said.
A Louth Fianna Fail deputy, Mr. Dermot Ahern, welcomed the development.
It was important to ensure that whatever waste was present at Sellafield was properly monitored, he said, and this "rebuff" to the nuclear industry in Britain must call into question its further development.
The Progressive Democrats' environment spokeswoman, Ms Mairin Quill, said she hoped the decision spelled the beginning of the end for Sellafield.
She criticised the Government for wasting the opportunity presented by holding the EU presidency to introduce effective measures to control the nuclear operation.
The Green MEP for Leinster, Ms Nuala Ahern, said,"at last, the evidence on the outrageous health and environmental effects of nuclear dumping are being taken seriously." The SDLP environment spokesman and South Down MP, Mr Eddie McGrady, said that the people of the east coast of Ireland would be relieved at the news.
The executive director of Greenpeace, Ms Claire O'Grady Walsh, described the announcement as "historic", in that it ran against all previous British Government decisions on nuclear power. Interested parties from both sides of the Irish Sea now needed to sit down and discuss safe ways of disposing of nuclear waste, she said.
Ms Mary Kavanagh, one of four Co Louth residents pursuing a court action, with Irish Government support, over safety standards at the THORP plant in Sellafield, said it was "a great decision for the Irish people". However, it was unlikely to affect their case, she added.