HC Deb 23 July 1956 vol 557 cc9-10
14. Captain Corfield

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power the present position with regard to the giving or withholding of consent for the building of a nuclear power station at Berkeley in Gloucestershire; whether he is aware that steps have already been taken to construct the approach road and water supply; and on what date formal approval was given for these initial proceedings.

Mr. Aubrey Jones

My consent to the Berkeley Power Station was given on 18th July. I am aware that the Central Electricity Authority had, on its own initiative, already made arrangements with the highway authority to improve the road to the site and with the water undertakers to provide the site with adequate water. I understand that, in making these arrangements, which did not require approval by Her Majesty's Government, the Authority took the view that the need to bring the new power station into operation at the earliest possible moment justified it running the risk that I might refuse my consent to the station.