An iconic part of Britain’s nuclear history has been earmarked for demolition.
Calder Hall, on the Sellafield site in West Cumbria, was the world’s first commercial power station but closed in 2003.
Now Sellafield Ltd has lodged a planning application to demolish one of its two turbine halls to help it continue with its decommissioning mission.
If the application is successful, the redundant building will be flattened to give Sellafield Ltd space on the site, as land is at a premium.
No redevelopment plans are in the pipeline for the land.
Sellafield Ltd said its demolition would also reduce maintenance costs as the firm has had to continually maintain it since it stopped producing power in 2003.
Calder Hall was opened by the Queen in 1956.
It was the first industrial-scale nuclear power station in the world to be connected to the National Grid – and Workington was the first town to receive its electricity from nuclear power produced at Calder Hall.
Designed by Lord Christopher Hinton, a nuclear pioneer and one of the 20th century’s most eminent engineers, it was replicated across the world and was said to be the catalyst for national and international nuclear relationships.
Calder Hall originally had four Magnox reactors, two turbine halls and four cooling towers. The towers were demolished in September 2007.
Nuclear reactions inside the reactors created heat, which was used to turn water into steam. The steam was transferred to the halls, where it was used to turn a turbine, which drove a generator to produce electricity.
It originally had a design life of 20 years but operated for 47 years before its closure on March 31 2003.
The application said: “The building is now redundant and has reached the end of its useful life.
“Sellafield Ltd is currently undertaking option studies into future development options on the site.
“At present, the proposed future use is not confirmed, and the building requires demolition to remove unnecessary maintenance work.
“Given the potential future redevelopment at the site, the proposal is to remove the building superstructure and retain the existing concrete foundations until a future development design is confirmed.”
Cumberland Council is currently considering the application.
