Ministry of Defence chiefs are pledging that community representatives in Caithness will be fully consulted over the wind-down of the Vulcan naval submarine test base. The pledge comes after the MoD came under sustained flak for undue secrecy about how it plans to decommission the site, 10 miles west of Thurso. Earlier this month, it was accused of adopting a “cloak and dagger” approach and keeping workers and the public in the dark about its plans. Vulcan, which is next door to Dounreay, has been in rundown mode since its pressurised water reactor was shut down in 2015. Dounreay Stakeholder Group, the community liaison body for both sites, relayed its concern to then UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson. In response, Andrew Parrish, of the submarine delivery secretariat, said it is disappointing that the group feel the MoD has not been as open as Dounreay’s operators. “That is certainly not the intent,” he states. “I can assure you that we remain committed to maintaining a dialogue with all stakeholders, including DSG, regarding the future of the Vulcan site.”
Press and Journal 19th July 2019 read more »