Recent advances in the understanding of the geology of west Cumbria: II. Convenors’ review

Abstract

In October 1993, the Yorkshire Geological Society held a full-day meeting with the title ‘Advances in west Cumbrian geology resulting from the Nirex investigations around Sellafield’ (Holliday & Rees 1994). The meeting presented results from the, then ongoing, geoscience investigations by United Kingdom Nirex Limited (Nirex) into whether the Sellafield area in west Cumbria could be suitable as a repository of intermediate and some low level radioactive waste. The presentations at the meeting, and other related papers, formed the subject of a thematic part of the Society’s Proceedings (Vol. 50, part 1). Since then several significant events relevant to the Nirex investigations have taken place (Kelling & Knill 1997). In December 1994, Cumbria County Council rejected Nirex’s application to construct an underground research laboratory, a Rock Characterization Facility (RCF), within the concealed rocks of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group (BVG), about 2.5 km inland of Sellafield, beneath Longlands Farm, near Gosforth. As a result of Nirex’s appeal against this decision, a Public Inquiry was held in Cleator Moor, between September 1995 and February 1996. In March 1997, after consideration of the Inquiry Inspector’s report, the Secretary of State for the Environment rejected Nirex’s appeal against the County Council’s decision. Nirex decided not to appeal against this decision, and the Sellafield investigations have been wound down. Since 1993, the geoscientific investigations at Sellafield advanced significantly and, prior to the Secretary of State’s decision, a second meeting devoted to the geology of west Cumbria was arranged by the Society in order to allow ...