20 September 2005 - Plans to build new a laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston, Berkshire, breach EU planning and environmental laws and should be thrown out by planners, according to a local Euro-MP.

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for South-East England, has written to West Berkshire planners claiming the plans must be rejected as no Environmental Impact Assessment – required by EU law – has been carries out for the project as a whole.

“The planned facility poses a major environmental and health risk, yet no proper assessment of its impact on local people has been carried out,” she said.“This is in breach of both EU and UK law and is itself reason enough for West Berkshire planners to oppose the facility.”

Dr Lucas, who is a member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, vice-president of its cross-party peace initiatives group and a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s National Council, said the new laser facility was out of keeping with other buildings in the area, posed a public health risk and should therefore be subject to public consultation – and that it would increase traffic by nearly ten per cent for 30 months.

The MEP also told planners she was concerned at evidence of work already starting on the laser facility’s construction before receiving planning permission.

Dr Lucas added: “To start work on new facility at Britain’s nuclear weapons factory before local people have had their say on the proposals is a shameful abuse of local democracy and misuse of public money.

“The proposals breach not only local and EU planning rules, they fly in the face of international law – and common sense - regarding nuclear weapons. The UK cannot hope to persuade states such as Iran and North Korea to abandon their nuclear ambitions whilst we continue to invest in our own nuclear weapons capacity.”

ENDS