There is a risk that Tollerton Airport (and some of the surrounding landscape) is highly contaminated with radioactive substances.
How is this possible?
We know that the method of decommissioning heavy bombers was to Bash, Burn, and Bury the remains. It’s a well-documented process that was carried out at various RAF Stations at the end of WWII. We also know that over 1,000 heavy bombers – mostly Lancasters and Hampdens – were disposed of at RAF Tollerton using this Bash, Burn, and Bury method.
The internal controls of WWII heavy bombers were painted with a substance that included Radium, to make the controls glow in the dark. These days we know Radium is a highly radioactive product with a half-life of 1,600 years.
How do we know about this issue at Tollerton?
In the mid-2000s, a very localised cluster of cancers were diagnosed very close to the airfield. The health authority felt this was so unusual they called for an investigation, which Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) carried out in 2008.
RBCs investigation report stated that two radioactive hotspots were found. However the figures were erroneously handled, and there are questions about the validity – and reproducibility – of the method RBC used. The site was declared safe by RBC leading to the unfortunate circumstance of an area of the former RAF Tollerton being granted planning permission when it was not fit for human habitation.
- The RBC report confuses various measurements, and
- The annual safe dose calculation is egregiously incorrect
This means the actual amount of radiation detected in 2008 by RBC is significantly higher, and the annual dose the contamination produces is in the danger levels.
What are we doing about this issue?
We have produced a scientifically-based report which details the errors RBC have made. This week, we have taken our findings and our report to all councillors at Rushcliffe Borough Council, councillors at Nottinghamshire County, as well as our MP James Naish, Environmental Health, Planning, and various Central Government Agencies and Departments.
What does this mean for Tollerton airport?
The land at Tollerton airport is not a development opportunity. Making the land safe for housing would cost the developer (Vistry) so much money they would make a huge loss on every house they built there. Additionally, ask yourself this simple question: would you buy a house built on land where you’d have to be confident the developer removed the radioactive contamination safely – and didn’t cut any corners?