Local MP calls for extra protections for monitoring station
New planning rules being considered by the UK Government must protect vital defence infrastructure such as the seismic monitoring system at Eskdalemuir. That was the demand this week from Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell, who spoke out on the issue during a debate in Parliament on the government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
The Eskdalemuir seismic array has been operating since 1962 and is a seismological monitoring station established to detect seismic signals from nuclear explosions. Current rules require specific consultation on any developments within a 50km consultation zone around the array, and a 10km exclusion zone is in place to protect the station’s operation. However, the local MP shared with Parliament his concerns that continual large-scale windfarm developments in the area could undermine the operation of the array and called for measures to strengthen protections around it. David Mundell said: “The Eskdalemuir array is a vital asset in global monitoring, in scientific research, and, crucially, in helping to keep the United Kingdom compliant with its international obligations under the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.
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