Harwell land released for re-use
Some 27 hectares of land at Harwell nuclear research site has been released from the last remaining nuclear regulations by the UK parliament. The land will be reused as part of a technology park.Some 27 hectares of land at Harwell nuclear research site has been released from the last remaining nuclear regulations by the UK parliament. The land will be reused as part of a technology park.
Most of the nuclear reactors and research facilities on the site were built between 1946 and 1960. Operations continued until the early 1990s, at which time it was decided there was no further need for research and development at Harwell. The parliamentary 'de-designation' of the land follows its gradual de-licensing by the UK Office of Nuclear Regulation in three separate tranches over the past six years.
.jpg "Harwell site (RSRL)") |
| Harwell housed several reactors and research facilities (Image: RSRL) |
Land representing about 20% of the total site will now be released to the partnership that is developing the wider Harwell Oxford campus, which houses a range of high-tech businesses and research organizations.
Clean-up work began on the land in the 1990s with the decommissioning and demolition of redundant facilities, the management of radioactive waste and ground restoration.
Tony Wratten, managing director of site operator Research Sites Restoration Ltd (RSRL), said: "De-licensing and de-designation demonstrates that our work is done on this part of the site. The land can now be re-used without any concern about its previous history."
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
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