AWE and MOD object to Aldermaston bungalow on grounds of National Security

A planning application for a bungalow next to one of two nuclear bomb factories in West Berkshire is likely to be refused – on the grounds of national security.

The AWE nuclear factory, the MOD and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) have all objected to the plans next to the Aldermaston site in Burghfield Road, Tadley.

In a hefty, and strongly worded letter to West Berkshire Council, the MOD and AWE are most definitely against a replacement dwelling on the site of an old abandoned one.

While they cite planning regs against the proposal, there is an undertone in the objections that both the Aldermaston and Burghfield factories have dialled up a level.

They say the proposal would increase demand on the resources available in the event of a radiation emergency.

“In the worst-case scenario of ONR concluding that the emergency procedure is inadequate and cannot be made adequate, AWE would have to cease working with ionising radiation, with stark consequences for national security as a whole,” it says. “This risk should be given substantial weight.”

AWE and the MOD consider that the proposed development should be refused planning permission because the introduction of additional residential accommodation within the detailed emergency planning zone for AWE Aldermaston is directly contrary to public safety and emergency planning advice.

AWE says these sites (at Aldermaston and Burghfield) are critical to UK defence and the delivery of the Continuous At Sea Deterrent (CASD).

They are the only sites in the UK which design, manufacture, maintain, and when required, disassemble nuclear warheads.

“They are unique and irreplaceable sites, and their long-term operability must be ensured.

“MOD has consistently sought to ensure that constraints on delivering this nationally and internationally important capability are minimised,” says the letter.

“The success of the UK’s defence nuclear enterprise remains a critical national endeavour, requiring significant and sustained investment and support from HM Government.

“The Government’s commitment to investing in AWE has been consistently set out since 2005 and this position has not changed.”

The Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR) requires AWE to assess the likelihood and impact of a radiation emergency to the public and provide West Berkshire District Council with the required information to establish the Urgent Protection Zone (UPZ) and Detailed Emergency Planning Zones (DEPZ) around AWE A and AWE B.

The DEPZ is the area where local authorities are required to have planned in detail how they, the emergency services and other organisations would respond in the unlikely event of a radiation emergency arising from AWE.

The proposed development is located immediately adjacent to AWE A.

This means that the applicant must demonstrate that the development can be safely accommodated.

This application follows a previous refusal in March 2023 for a replacement dwelling

AWE says the situation has not changed in that it is considered to be an abandoned building and therefore should be treated as a new dwelling and not a like-for-like replacement.

Only a road separates them and that road would be one of the main emergency routes, within a distance that urgent protective actions would be required.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation has also objected, saying it has not been provided with adequate assurance that the proposed development can be accommodated within the off-site emergency planning arrangements.

AWE also points to the ‘cumulative adverse impact of relatively small-scale development inside the DEPZs has been recognised by a number of planning inspectors in recent planning appeals relating to residential development’.

Five planning appeal cases are noted in the response, all but one of which were refused by the planning inspector.

But another appeal against a WBC planning rejection, for 32 homes at The Hollies, was overturned, with the inspector pointing out that it was in one of the last allocated zones in the DEPZ.

The application goes before West Berkshire Council’s district planning committee next week.