UK planning and development consultancy Turley has submitted a planning application for a new nuclear energy facility on a brownfield site that was formerly part of the Berkeley nuclear power plant in south-west England.
The Berkeley NPP hosted two Magnox units that were shut down in the late 1980s after more than a quarter of a century of electricity generation. In 2010, after 21 years of decommissioning work, the units became the first to be sealed up and placed in ‘safestore’, in which the defueled and extensively decommissioned units will be monitored and maintained until the site is completely cleared after about 65 years.
The site comprises an area of previously developed land which formed part of the wider Berkeley nuclear power station. It is currently occupied by the Gloucestershire Science & Technology Park, acquired by Chiltern Vital Berkeley in 2024, and has an established history for nuclear, employment and educational uses. The nuclear licensed site on which the decommissioned reactors stand is not part of the science park.
If approved, the proposed development will offer up to 600,000 square feet (5.6 hectares) of new R&D, laboratory, office, manufacturing, and education facilities, creating up to 1,000 jobs. “Our ambitions would deliver significant environmental and economic benefits, including the creation of high-tech jobs whilst supporting crucial research and industry,” said Project Manager Gerry Hughes. “We’ve already got significant interest from some businesses at the forefront of innovation, which just demonstrates how important this project is, not just to Gloucestershire, but to the entire UK.”
On behalf of Chiltern Vital Berkeley, Turley submitted a planning application for its proposals to establish cutting-edge nuclear and clean energy research and development facilities at the former Gloucestershire Science & Technology Park. Stroud District Council will now determine the planning application. If approved, the outline application would agree the principle of redevelopment of the site’s general parameters. The detail of the proposals would then be agreed through future planning applications, ensuring the specific needs of future occupiers are met.
