Three interested parties have been identified in the hunt for a possible site for a nuclear waste disposal facility in Copeland – two of which highlight the potential for exploring the use of inshore areas.

Radioactive Waste Management, the public body responsible for planning and delivering geological disposal in the UK, has compiled four initial reports after receiving proposals from three parties interested in the project.

Having determined there could be potential for a multimillion pound disposal facility at the sites identified, the Copeland Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) Working Group was formed on November 4 to involve the community in the discussion.

Copeland Council and three others form the four interested parties. An RWM spokesman said: “We had three different interests that came with different levels of interest.

“Two of them were more geographically focused, one was more of a general interest.”

One of the parties was Irton Hall Ltd, who run various hospitality businesses, including Irton Hall.

“They came with an interest to understand if there was the potential to develop the GDF deep in the geology under the seabed – in what we call the inshore area,” explained the spokesman.

“This big corridor, 20-odd kilometres off the coastline. So for the underground element to be below the seabed, deep in the geology below the seabed, but accessed from a surface facility. Initially they said around the LLWR (near Drigg) area, that coastal strip, but we considered a wider area.”

As well as two organisations, initial discussions were also held with an ex-Sellafield manager and south Copeland resident.

“We had an approach from Dave Faulkner, who is a resident in the southern part of Copeland,” continued the spokesman.

"He is an ex-Sellafield manager, so worked in the industry for a long time, and he was interested in the potential for using what we describe as a “developed site”, continued the spokesman.

“This is around the quarry near Millom, with a view to hiding or obscuring any visible impact from a surface facility."

The wider area down to the coastal plan towards Haverigg was also considered.

“Again it led us very much to look at the geology of the inshore area in that big wide 20km corridor off the coastline, accessed again from land.”

Meanwhile, Genr8 North Ltd had general interest in seeing the GDF programme given proper consideration in West Cumbria as part of future infrastructure developments in the area.