In The Nuclear Zone

In The Nuclear Zone

We live in a dangerous world.

With the increased threat from the east and the pugilistic Vladimir Putin, our sensationalist media have been publishing maps of where would be affected in the event of a nuclear strike on London. 

Reading lies at the outskirts of the destruction zone and the impact would seem to depend on what other targets might be hit and in what direction the wind might be blowing.

However, there is another nuclear threat to the west of our town.

The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Burghfield (their other base is in nearby Aldermaston) has something called a Detailed Emergency Planning Zone and a much wider Outline Planning Zone that is known to people living within these areas, but seems little known wider afield. These zones are in place in case of an accident at these facilities, but according to an industry expert we spoke to, make the area one of the prime targets in the event of an attack.




AWE has its origins in the WWII British nuclear weapon program that began in 1940. The two main sites, Aldermaston and Burghfield, were established in 1950 and 1955 respectively. During the Cold War, AWE was responsible for the design, manufacture and maintenance of the UK's nuclear deterrent forces.

After the end of the Cold War in 1991, AWE's role shifted to stockpile stewardship of the remaining nuclear warheads without full-scale testing. In 1993, AWE became an arm's-length government-owned contractor operated body.

In 2000, a 25-year contract to manage AWE was awarded to a private consortium of companies including Lockheed Martin, Serco and others. Recent developments include multi-billion pound investments to modernize AWE's infrastructure and facilities as part of the Nuclear Warhead Capability Sustainment Programme.

However, in 2021, Boris Johnson's government terminated the contract with the AWE private consortium early and AWE is being taken over by the Ministry of Defence, a process that will be completed in July 2024. The reasons for this nationalisation seem to be a combination of cost over-runs, under-performance and excessive dividends. It might sound familiar to customers of Thames Water.

AWE Burghfield is situated some five miles from AWE Aldermaston where the nuclear warheads are produced. Warheads are then transported by road from the Aldermaston site to AWE Burghfield where the final assembly of high explosives into warheads takes place before they are transported to the operational store at the Royal Armaments Depot in Scotland.

The AWE Detailed Emergency Planning Zone refers to an area around the AWE sites in the United Kingdom where detailed emergency planning is required due to the potential risk from operations involving nuclear materials and explosives.

The DEPZ extends outwards several kilometers from the AWE sites. Within this zone, West Berkshire council has plans in place to respond to any radiation emergency that may occur, such as evacuating residents, distributing potassium iodate tablets to block radioactive iodine uptake, and monitoring radiation levels.

Extensive modeling is done to map out this planning zone based on the types of work occurring at the AWE sites and worst-case accident scenarios. The zone covers the area where countermeasures may need to be implemented rapidly in the event of an accidental release of radioactive materials.

Regular exercises are conducted to test the emergency plans within the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone. Residents within the zone receive information on what to do if an incident occurs at the AWE sites. You can download the booklet issued by West Berkshire Council below.

However, another impact of being in this zone is that it needs to be considered for planning purposes, thus making swathes of south west Reading undevelopable and adding to the pressure on land prices in the rest of the area.

Developers have in the past challenged the DEPZ due to their inability to obtain planning permission. There was a judicial review sought in 2021 for a mega development in Grazeley by Crest Nicholson, Hallam Land Management and Wilson Homes. They hoped to build 15,000 homes on the site in a plan supported by  local councils in West Berkshire, Reading and Wokingham. Surprisingly, though this does not seem to have impacted on the development of Green Park.

We understand there will be further developments on the scope and impact of the evacuation zone soon and will keep you updated. The good news is that inspections by the Office for Nuclear Regulation have been coming up with green safety assessments for the past few years, indicating that the site, which is soon to be heavily redeveloped, is as safe as can be expected.




More on this story:

https://www.westberks.gov.uk/media/39234/AWE-Public-Information-booklet-2023/pdf/20230511-WBC_REPPIR_booklet_A5.pdf

https://www.nuclearinfo.org/article/developer-challenge-to-burghfield-emergency-zone-fails/

https://www.nuclearinfo.org/article/awe-burghfield/compromising-nuclear-warhead-safety-britain

https://www.westberks.gov.uk/media/48637/AWE-Detailed-Emergency-Planning-Zone-report-January-2023/pdf/AWE_DEPZ_Determination_Report_19_Jan_2023_v2.pdf?m=638108523026200000