RSS Press releases
We publish all of our recent press releases online so you can keep up to date.
You can use special RSS software (or newer web browsers) to subscribe to an RSS feed of our recent press releases . Email pressenquiry@dumgal.gov.uk if you'd like further details on any of our press releases.
If you want to speak to a communications officer, you can find their working-hours telephone numbers and what areas of the council they cover at www.dumgal.gov.uk/pressenquiry.
Read our press releases as HTML >>
Recent releases
Chapelcross has come a long way since the nuclear power plant first opened in 1959 on a site previously used by the Air Ministry (now the MOD) as RAF Annan, a training base for mainly Polish Hurricane pilots during the second World War.
60 years later and a lot has changed. Generation of electricity was stopped in 2004 followed by ongoing decommissioning of the site with the site currently expected to enter into care and maintenance in 2025. The first visible signs of change was when the Cooling towers were demolished in 2007, the 200+ hectare site is now gearing up to be a prime location for investment.
On Friday 19th July 2019 Members of the Chapelcross Joint Co-ordination Group, which is Chaired by David Mundell MP and includes Members and Officers from Dumfries and Galloway Council, and representatives from Scottish Enterprise and Magnox, held one of its regular progress meeting on Site which was followed by a tour of the potential development area on Site.
The CX Project was pleased to receive endorsement of our CX Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) from the UK Government and Scottish Government in June. This aims to create a 21st Century employment site at this strategic location which will deliver some 2000 high quality jobs.
The CX SOBC was issued as one of the ten initiatives which make up the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal. Following the conditional award and signing of Heads of Terms on 1st July 2019 funding of £7.8m from UK Government matched with £7.5m from Scottish Government money which include funding for Site enabling works and site infrastructure servicing. The next key milestone is the development of the SOBC is the approval of a Programme Mandate which will be presented to Council Members in the coming months.
Archie Dryburgh, Chair of the Council’s Economy, Environment and Infrastructure Committee said: “Today’s meeting of the Joint Co-ordination Group and Site tour has been invaluable to Members to further understand the decommissioning process and reiterate the scale of the Site’s assets and the areas which will be available for future development. This is a key site within Dumfries and Galloway and is of national significance. “
With the welcome funding through the Borderlands Inclusive growth Deal the CX Project will be able to attract substantial new inward investment. This will be transformational for the economic growth of our region. We would welcome enquiries from interested companies and investors. There is no other site of equivalent scale or with similar qualities in terms of infrastructure in the area and opportunities should be taken early on to secure future potential“
