Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) revealed this week it wants to restore an area of land designated as a rubble dump during the construction and operation phases of Britain’s former centre of fast reactor research and development.

The work is expected to cost around £2 million and, subject to regulatory controls, is due for completion by the end of 2011.

An estimated 70,000m3 of material from the construction and demolition of buildings was dumped in the area beyond the eastern perimeter of the site from 1960 onwards.

The site, which has been undergoing remediation work since 2008, has not been in use in 2005 and needs to be restored under environmental and planning regulations.

Work will see about 16,000m3 of material moved and the building of new sea defences.

It will also see a large and impermeable membrane to cover the site and around 25,000 tonnes of rock to close off the site.

DSRL’s contaminated land manager, Phil Cartwright, said: “We studied several options for closure of the landfill and carefully considered the environmental impact of each.

“We believe the facility can be left in a safe condition with the engineering measures identified in our closure application to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.”

The landfill is next to ground being developed as a site for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste from decommissioning the site.

Luke Walsh

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