Concerns over scrutiny of nuclear factory plans

Questions have been raised over whether West Berkshire Council has the expertise and resources needed to scrutinise plans for a major redevelopment at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston.

The nuclear weapons site is expected to submit plans for its Future Materials Campus, part of a wider £15bn investment in the UK's warhead programme.

During a meeting on Thursday, Conservative councillor Dominic Boeck said residents had concerns about the impact of the project and asked how the authority would independently assess an application of such scale and complexity.

Liberal Democrat deputy council leader Denise Gaines said any proposal would be examined by qualified professionals and specialist consultants to ensure all technical and environmental issues were properly considered.

The development is being led by engineer Andrew McNaughton, who has compared its scale and complexity to the London 2012 Olympics programme.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that assessing the plans could cost the authority tens of thousands of pounds in specialist advice and consultancy support.

Security-cleared experts are likely to be needed to review technical aspects of the application linked to one of the UK's most sensitive defence sites.

Projects of this size are often supported by specialist planning arrangements because of the complexity and expertise required to assess them.

Responing to the concerns raised by Boeck, Gaines said: "We take the safety of residents and people at AWE very seriously... At this stage of the proposal it is a pre-application.

"This is a confidential part of the process between council officers and the applicant.

"This sets out a clear timetable for a major and complex application."