A public meeting is to be held to give communities the chance to learn more about the nomination of land at Sellafield, owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, as a site for nuclear new build.

The Nuclear New Build Nomination (NNBN) team*, which is led by urban regeneration company West Lakes
Renaissance, will stage the event at Whitehaven Civic Hall on Wednesday, March 18. The event is being hosted by West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group and chaired by Councillor David Moore. There will be two public sessions during the day – between 2.30pm and 4pm and from 5.30pm to 7pm.

The event will be the first opportunity for residents and businesses to learn more about the requirements and
timescales for the nomination of the 250 hectare site just north of Sellafield. A full public consultation will take place
once the Government publishes a draft list of nominated sites in the winter.

The nomination has been prepared by West Lakes Renaissance working closely with a number of partners*. The
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) will submit the nomination to the Department of Environment and Climate Change by March 31, the deadline set under the Government’s Strategic Sites Assessment process.

Nuclear new build is a key component of the Britain’s Energy Coast™ Masterplan, which aims to establish West Cumbria as a major national hub for low carbon and renewable energy generation. Locally it could create thousands of new jobs during the construction and operation phases; safeguard and create thousands more throughout the nuclear supply chain; and attract investment in infrastructure and local services, such as improvements to transport links and access to services. Nationally, it could play an important role in helping to tackle the Government’s response to the pressing challenges of climate change and energy security.

CHAIRING THE MEETING: Councillor David Moore Cllr David Moore, Chairman of the West Cumbria Site
Stakeholder Group, said: “The journey from nomination to new build could take a decade so it is important that
the public and site stakeholders are aware of the process and timescales.

“This event is about raising awareness, so the public and site stakeholders are properly briefed before the
formal public consultation period begins. New build is of huge importance to West Cumbria so we would urge people to come along and get a greater understanding.”