Marsh nuclear plan thrown out by Kent Council

Members of the Kent council voted 21 to 13 against formally expressing interest in the government’s facility for the geological disposal of nuclear waste.

Last week 63 percent of residents surveyed rejected the scheme, fearing it would contaminate the ground for centuries.

But supporters say it would have safeguarded the economic future of the area after Dungeness Nuclear Power Station closes.

A report submitted to the council suggested Dungeness A and B, which are on the marsh, supported more than 1,000 jobs and contributed £48m a year to to the local economy.

The facility would have seen nuclear waste buried deep under Romney Marsh with research facilities at ground level.

The plans had ben strongly opposed in the Rye area, with MP Amber Rudd vowing “over my dead body” and East Sussex County Council leader Peter Jones commenting: “We have serious concerns about these proposals so close to our border.

“The plan doesn’t stack up and has many unknowns.”

Christopher Strangeways, of Rother Environmental Group, had branded the plan as “complete nonsense”.