PRESS RELEASE

NPL ESTATES Assume Responsibility For Former Anhydrite Mine At Billingham

NPL Estates Ltd, one of the UK’s leading brownfield land management and development companies has agreed conditional terms with ICI to take over responsibility for the former anhydrite mine at Billingham.

The mine ceased to be a working entity in 1971 and was decommissioned in 1978, following which it has been under a management regime undertaken by owners ICI.

NPL are undertaking a technical review of the mine with a view to determining whether it would be suitable for long term storage of materials. This process is expected to take a number of months following which NPL would present findings and initial proposals to Stockton Borough Council, its elected representatives and local residents in Billingham via a series of public exhibitions.

It is considered at this stage that the mine could be suitable for the storage of a variety of materials including inert wastes such as building rubble and certain categories of low-level hazardous waste such as ash from local industrial facilities.  Liquid or reactive wastes would not be allowed.  Furthermore NPL have committed to ICI that the site would not be used for the types of waste previously considered by Nirex in the 1980s ie nuclear waste.

Following the technical review and consultation process, NPL will determine whether or not to pursue the project which would subsequently require a planning application for change of use, and an IPPC Permit from the Environment Agency prior to any operations on the site commencing. Should these applications be made, they would include comprehensive assessments of the suitability of the proposals and would consider the impact of the development in the area ie traffic impact assessments etc.

NPL would like to take this opportunity to reassure all interested parties that there are no definitive plans in place to reopen the mine at this point, and that by working closely with the local community we can fully assess the feasibility of any future plans following the technical review.

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