Introduction

Abstract

In October 1977 the Energy Panel of the Social Science Research Council requested Professor Pearce of the Department of Political Economy at the University of Aberdeen to undertake a study of the implications of the Windscale Inquiry for the future of advisory procedures in the UK in the context of energy planning. The Windscale Inquiry was a local public inquiry, held at Whitehaven in Cumbria, into the proposal by British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) to build a plant to reprocess thermal oxide fuel from the UK’s ‘second-generation’ nuclear reactors. It was proposed that the plant, known as THORP (thermal oxide reprocessing plant), be built at Windscale, the site of an existing nuclear reactor and of a plant to reprocess MAGNOX fuels (from the UK’s first generation of reactors). For reasons considered in this report, the planning application by BNFL to Cumbria County Council was ‘called in’ by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Peter Shore, thus forcing a public inquiry into the proposal. That inquiry lasted 100 days, opening on 14 June 1977 and closing on 4 November 1977. In the following January, the Inspector, the Hon. Mr Justice Parker, presented his Report to Mr Shore. In March 1978 the Report was published.