§ Mr. Frank Cookasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will supply a full list of nuclear establishments in the United Kingdom tabulating their purpose, operator, and extent of flying restrictions within their vicinity by minimum radius and altitude.
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§ Mr. Giles ShawThe following lists the information requested:
Purpose (principal site function) UKAEA Establishments Dounreay Research and development Harwell Research and development Winfrith Research and development BNF plc Establishments Calder Hall Power generation Capenhurst Uranium enrichment Chapelcross Power generation Sellafield (formerly Windscale) Nuclear fuel reprocessing Springfields Nuclear fuel manufacture The flying restrictions which apply to the aforementioned sites are set out in the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Atomic Energy Establishments) Regulations 1983 (S.I. No. 640). In summary, these provide that civil aircraft shall not fly below a height of 2,000 ft above the sites, within a radius of 2 nautical miles, except for the purpose of landing or take off at nearby airfields as described. Military aircraft also observe the same restrictions.
The UKAEA has research establishments at Culham and Risley which are not governed by special regulations on flying restrictions, and also small research laboratories on the BNF plc sites at Sellafield and Springfields.
CEGB Establishments
CEGB nuclear power station sites are located at Berkeley (the site includes research and development laboratories),Bradwell, Dungeness,Hartlepool, Heysham, Hinkley Point, Oldbury,Sizewell, Trawsfynydd and Wylfa.
There are no special restrictions on civil aircraft in relation to nuclear power stations. However, the rules of the air in Air Traffic Control Regulations 1981 inter alia require that civil aircraft shall not fly closer than 500 ft to the ground or buildings over the countryside except when landing or taking off. In addition military aircraft are restricted from flying lower than 2,000 ft within a radius of one nautical mile from each establishment.
Ministry of Defence establishments are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. Nuclear power stations operated by the South of Scotland Electricity Board are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.