NDA publishes first ever nuclear heritage strategy

NDA publishes first ever nuclear heritage vision and strategy, to safeguard and celebrate the history of the nuclear industry.

Today the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has published the first ever nuclear heritage vision and strategy, to safeguard and celebrate the history and cultural heritage of the nuclear industry.

The UK is a pioneer of nuclear technologies, which have been part of our lives since the 1950s.

The NDA is tasked with decommissioning the UK’s legacy nuclear sites, sites and facilities which have been at the heart of delivering nuclear benefits for the UK, including national defence programmes and supplying safe, low-carbon power, for decades.

The heritage strategy enables the NDA group to identify and preserve the tangible and intangible assets, objects, and memories of the nuclear industry, the people who worked in it, and the communities that supported it.

Simon Tucker, NDA Archives Limited Managing Director, said: "It’s a real privilege to be tasked with preserving and showcasing the origins of the civil nuclear industry. There are many benefits of commemorating our history, ranging from learning lessons of the past to support decommissioning and future nuclear developments, to connecting with local communities and stakeholders. Capturing the legacy of the nuclear industry will enrich the NDA mission and help us to deliver our outcomes more effectively."

The strategy has been created in collaboration with NDA group heritage specialists and in consultation with others from the heritage sector.

As well as ensuring the right process and governance arrangements are in place, it focuses on engaging with local communities and stakeholders and the use of technology to help make collections and archives more accessible through digitisation.

There are varying ways in which the strategy will be implemented, for example the NDA and Sellafield have developed a history workshop for local schools.

Supporting the Cold War module in the current GCSE syllabus, a number of activities based on documents from the Sellafield archive will illustrate the role played by Sellafield in this crucial period of world history.

Nucleus, the Nuclear and Caithness Archives in Wick, will be the focal point for hosting assets identified by the strategy adding to its collection of existing current and historical nuclear records from all over the UK.

Click here to read the NDA group heritage vision and strategy