THE group tasked with finding a suitable home for a 'geological disposal facility' is proposing two areas.

A geological disposal facility houses higher activity radioactive waste deep underground.

Copeland GDF Working Group has been working to identify Search Areas for focussed consideration in their quest to find a suitable location.

The working group is now proposing two Search Areas, each with its own Community Partnership. 

One area comprises the electoral wards of Gosforth, Seascale and Beckermet.

The other comprises the electoral wards of Millom, Black Combe and Scafell.

Mark Cullinan, Chairman of the Copeland GDF Working Group said: "Over the past 11 months we have talked with local people and looked at the data available.

"The Working Group feels confident that we have selected two Search Areas worthy of further consideration as an initial starting point going forward.

"We are still in the very early part of the GDF journey and it’s up to the local authorities and Radioactive Waste Managemnent to now decide whether we progress further to forming Community Partnerships.

"We look forward to their decision in the coming weeks."

The Lake District National Park and its proposed extension are excluded from consideration as are existing and future coal mines.

A 'Community Partnership' is a long term group made up of a larger number of people which would take over from the Working Group and consider the possibilities of GDF siting in more detail.

Initially the Working Group would start to recruit some community members and then any Partnership would recruit further potential members to join them to take it forward.

Both Search Areas would be considered by RWM to identify potentially suitable sites to host a GDF. A surface facility, which would be the entry point for a GDF, would require up to 1 square km of land and suitable transport links.