RESIDENTS are being asked for their opinion on a nuclear storage facility.

Berkeley Nuclear Licence Site has recently submitted a planning application to Gloucestershire County Council to build a new above ground interim Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) Store.

The store would house waste currently on the site in a purpose built facility until a National Repository is made available elsewhere in the country.

As part of the application the site has organised two exhibitions, being held in Berkeley and Lydney, to allow members of the public to drop in and ask any questions about the proposed plans.

Steven Payne, Berkeley Nuclear Licence Site Stakeholder Relations Officer, said: "As part of our on-going stakeholder engagement activities we are holding two public exhibitions to allow members of the public a chance to ask questions or raise any concerns they might have directly with site staff who will be manning both events."

According to the application the proposed ILW store would be a single structure approximately 83 metres long, 24.5 meters wide and 18 metres high.

To help integrate it into the surrounding landscape, trees would be planted to the north, east and west of the store. The planting would comprise of a mix of indigenous tree and shrub species, selected to enhance local landscape character.

The site's inner security fence would also be extended to enclose the proposed ILW store and it would remain in place while new store is used for ILW storage.

If the application's successful construction will commence in October 2007 and be complete by December 2009. The building will be operational from January 2010.

The exhibitions will be held at Lydney Town Hall on Friday, May 18, 12pm-6pm and Berkeley Town Hall on Saturday, May 19 12pm-6pm.

For more information about the Intermediate Level Waste storage facility planning application visit, www.gloucestershire.gov.uk