Guidance

Property Value Protection scheme: Guidance

Published 30 August 2024

1. Introduction 

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) specialises in the management and disposal of radioactive waste produced by nuclear technologies in the UK. Forming part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group, it is tasked with managing the delivery of the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility (GDF), an underground facility designed to dispose of radioactive waste safely and securely in highly engineered vaults and tunnels hundreds of metres underground. This involves working with communities to find a suitable site and community willing to host a GDF.

Investing in a GDF offers a permanent solution for the disposal of radioactive waste, removing the need for ongoing human intervention for future generations. Geological Disposal Facilities use engineered barriers to work alongside the natural barrier of deep, stable rock between 200 and 1000 metres below the surface. This multi-barrier approach isolates and contains waste to prevent radiation from ever reaching the surface environment at levels that could do harm. Once the waste is placed inside, the facility will eventually be closed allowing the radioactivity to naturally reduce without needing any further human interaction.

GDFs are internationally recognised by governments, technical experts and scientists as the best solution for the safe, permanent disposal of our most radioactive waste. Having one in the UK will create jobs and guaranteed investment for the host community.

NWS recognises that, until decisions are made on the preferred location for a GDF, there will be uncertainty about:

• whether any properties need to be purchased to construct or operate a GDF (and if so, which properties)
• whether any other properties may be affected by their proximity to a GDF when it is being built and once it is operational

NWS also recognises that, in the period before the Government decides and announces its preferred location for a GDF, this uncertainty may have an influence on the property market in the vicinity of a location it is considering.

1.1 Property Value Protection scheme 

The NWS Property Value Protection (PVP) scheme is available to eligible applicants. They must demonstrate to the satisfaction of NWS a compelling need to sell their property, yet have been unable to do so, other than at a substantially reduced price, due to the search for a suitable site to host a GDF in their community.

Applicants who apply to the PVP scheme and meet the eligibility criteria will be recompensed for the actual loss in value on sale. The loss in value will be measured from the property’s unaffected open market value (that is, what the value of the property would have been without any adverse effect arising from the search for a suitable site to host a GDF).

This is a discretionary scheme, not one required by law. It recognises the importance of aiding those eligible applicants who are most severely affected by the announcement of locations being considered to host a GDF.

This PVP scheme will remain in place until the Secretary of State approves communities to proceed to the Site Characterisation phase of development; or until a Community Partnership is dissolved following a decision, by either NWS or the relevant principal local authority(s), to stop consideration of a GDF in that community.

Where the search for a suitable site to host a GDF moves forward into the Site Characterisation phase, NWS expect new arrangements to be put in place to support affected property owners. These will be subject to engagement with communities.

From the commencement of the PVP scheme NWS will seek feedback from communities. Please see Section 5 for further information.

A few important terms are used throughout this document. Please see Key Terms in Section 6 for further details.

2. About this Property Value Protection scheme 

2.1 Who is eligible:

The Property Value Protection (PVP) scheme is available to eligible applicants who can demonstrate that they have a compelling need to sell their property but have not been able to do so, other than at a substantially reduced value, because of the search for a suitable site to host a GDF in their community.

NWS will recompense those applicants who apply to the PVP scheme, and meet the eligibility criteria, with an Assistance Payment. The Assistance Payment is the sum payable to a successful applicant. Please go to Section 4 for further information including a worked example on how the Assistance Payment is calculated.

2.2 How is your application determined

There is a PVP Panel set up to assess applications and make a recommendation. This PVP Panel is made up of five people. Three Panel members are external to NWS. The other two members are a representative of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and a representative of NWS.

The PVP Panel will assess whether an application meets the specified criteria. It will then make a recommendation to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NWS. The CEO or their delegated representative will review the PVP Panel’s recommendation and decide on whether to approve the application.

2.3 Applying for the Property Value Protection scheme 

If your property is within, or in close proximity to, an identified search area and you have a compelling reason to sell but cannot do so other than at a substantially reduced price, you should consider applying for the PVP scheme.	You can call our Helpdesk or ask to speak to a member of our PVP Team if you need any further information on demonstrating eligibility and making an application.	If you think you can meet all five criteria for the scheme, you should fill in an application form. You can do this either electronically or on paper.
Your completed application will be sent to our PVP Team who will review your application to make sure it is complete. If it is complete, your application will be assessed by a PVP Panel, who  will make a recommendation on your application, for determination by the decision maker.	If your application is successful, you can have your property valued on an unaffected open market value and an affected value basis by two RICS valuers (you can choose one of these valuers).	The valuers will tell us the affected and unaffected value of your property. The difference between these will be the maximum sum Assistance Payment. If the initial valuations are more than 10% apart, we will obtain a third valuation.
You will then have to remarket your property at the affected value valuation knowing that we will pay up to the maximum sum Assistance Payment.	Once you have accepted an offer on your property, you should tell us and give us details of your conveyancing solicitor.	Once the legal sale processes have been completed, we will pay you the Assistance Payment. You will be able to take part in any future scheme like this we may offer.

Please see detailed criteria below.

3. Do I qualify for assistance? 

To qualify for this PVP scheme, an applicant must meet the following criteria: 

• Criteria 1: Qualifying interest in the property 

• Criteria 2: Location of the property 

• Criteria 3: Effort to sell and the effect of the search for a suitable site to host a GDF 

• Criteria 4: No prior knowledge 

• Criteria 5: Compelling need to sell 

You will need to provide evidence that you meet each of these criteria to support your application. The PVP Application Form, which is a separate document, includes a full list of information and documents you can use as evidence. Please provide NWS with as much evidence as possible to enable your request to be processed.

Further information on each of these criteria is set out below.

3.1 Criteria 1: Qualifying interest in the property 

To be eligible for an Assistance Payment under this PVP scheme, you need to provide evidence that you have a qualifying interest in the property.

You have a qualifying interest if you are:

• a freehold owner of the property, or
• a tenant of a fixed term lease, and there are at least three years left on your lease on the day that you submit your application

and the property is:

• a private residential property, or
• a business premises with an annual rateable value of no more £36,000, or
• an agricultural unit where you also live

To be eligible, you must also be an occupier of the property as set out in the table below.

Do I meet the occupancy requirements?

Private Home	Business premises	Agricultural unit	Non-residents
You must be living in the property on the date you submit your application and must have owned it and lived in it as your main home for at least six months before that date. Or if the property is empty, you must have lived there for at least six months before it became empty, as long as it has not been empty for more than 12 months and has not been occupied by anyone else since.	You must have owned or leased the property for at least six months before the date you submit your application and must have run a business from there throughout this time. Or if the property is empty, you must have run a business from there for at least six months before it became empty, as long as it has not been empty for more than 12 months.	You must have occupied the agricultural unit for at least six months before the date you submit your application. Or if the agricultural unit is not occupied, you must have occupied it for at least six months before it became empty, as long as it has not been empty for more than 12 months And your main dwelling house must have been located on the agricultural unit for this time.	You are not in occupation of the property. But you are a mortgage lender with the right to sell the property and can give immediate vacant possession. Or you are a reluctant landlord and can show that the property you are applying for under the scheme is the only property that you own and that you stopped living there after the Community Partnership for the area in which you live was formed. You must also show that you now live in accommodation that you do not own.

3.2 Criteria 2: Location of the property 

Your property is either within, or in close proximity to, an identified Search Area and is likely to be substantially adversely affected by the construction and/or operation of a GDF, if a GDF were to be developed in that Search Area.

The geographical location of your property in relation to an identified Search Area is an important consideration. Search Areas are shown on the Community Partnership websites:

• Theddlethorpe GDF Community Partnership

• Mid Copeland GDF Community Partnership

• South Copeland GDF Community Partnership

However, it is also important to determine whether your property is likely to be substantially adversely affected by the construction and/or operation of a GDF. This involves considering other factors, including:

• the particular characteristics of the property, including its position and surroundings
• the likely impact on the property of the construction and/or operation of a GDF in the area
• the physical features of the area surrounding the property (for example, whether it is flat or hilly around the property)

The PVP Panel will consider each application on a case-by-case basis, considering the characteristics of different identified Search Areas and their surrounding areas.

You can submit your own photographic evidence of the features of your property and the immediate area to support your statements about the effect on your property with your application.

Should the Search Area boundary change, the PVP Panel will:

• consider applications received up to three months after the date of the announcement against both the old, identified Search Area boundary and the new identified Search Area boundary. Your property would only need to satisfy Criteria 2 for one of these Search Areas
• consider applications received three months or more after the date of the announcement against only the new identified Search Area

Any changes to the identified Search Areas will be published on the relevant Community Partnership’s website.

3.3 Criteria 3: Effort to sell  

Proximity to the search for a suitable site to host a GDF, rather than any other factor, is the reason why your property has not been sold or could not be sold other than at a substantially reduced value (the affected value).

To demonstrate that this Criteria has been satisfied, NWS will expect you to provide evidence to show that:

• you have asked at least three recognised estate agents, who are not associated in any way with one another, for advice on marketing your property, including its unaffected open market value
• your property has been on the market with at least one recognised estate agent for at least three months immediately before the date of your application (you should continue to market your property during your application)
• you have made all reasonable efforts to sell your property, considering the current property market (including testing more than one asking price)
• the search for a suitable site to host a GDF in your community is the reason your property has not been sold, or cannot be sold other than at a substantially reduced value (the affected value), and you know this through feedback from viewings or people who have chosen not to view
• you have not received an offer within 15% of the property’s unaffected open market value, or you can show evidence that an offer received within this price range represents a substantially reduced value

You need to market your property with at least one recognised estate agent. Your application must include information and evidence about your recognised estate agents’ marketing proposals and their feedback from people who viewed, or chose not to view, the property.

However, this does not prevent you from also marketing the property yourself (for example, using websites where you can upload details of your property, in the form of a listing, to publicise its availability). Feedback received from personal marketing will not be accepted as evidence.

Offers received

You should submit details of all offers you receive. This must be from a recognised estate agent.

Offers within 15% of the unaffected open market value will not be considered as evidence for Criteria 3. The 15% figure is a long-standing benchmark used by other public sector property assistance schemes, such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the Elizabeth Line and National Highways Road schemes.

Inability to market a property 

The PVP Panel will carefully consider the evidence you give in your application about how you have tried to actively market your property.

Please note that the PVP Panel and decision-maker will not take into account any market appraisal, feedback or other evidence provided where you enter into an agreement with an estate agent or other agent who would benefit financially from the sale of the property if your application is successful. For the avoidance of doubt paying someone to complete the application form alone is permitted.

This is to protect both you and the taxpayer by only considering advice from estate agents and agents who are independent and do not have a personal or financial interest in you qualifying for the PVP scheme.

Examples of evidence 

The evidence you submit to support Criteria 3 could include:

• a description of the performance of the current local housing market and the efforts that sellers would normally have to make in that market, particularly if they had a compelling need to sell their property (you could get this information from estate agents, chartered surveyors or the professionally recognised market data)

• the price that your property would be marketed at as if the search for a suitable site to host the GDF was not present in your community (for example, a range of suggested unaffected open market valuations and proposed asking prices from recognised estate agents)

• evidence that you have approached at least three recognised and unrelated estate agents for an unaffected open market valuation and a proposed asking price – and that the eventual asking price you use reflects their professional opinion of the price your property would be marketed at, as if the search for a suitable site to host a GDF was not present in your community

• evidence that your property has been marketed at more than one asking price (for example, copies of advertisements or correspondence with your recognised estate agent)

• the agency or sales agreement with your recognised estate agent (if you have used more than one recognised estate agent to market the property, you should provide all agency agreements and evidence of the marketing carried out by each recognised estate agent)

• evidence that the property has been actively marketed with at least one recognised estate agent for at least three months

• feedback from possible buyers on viewings carried out while your property was being marketed (NWS would need evidence or confirmation of this from a recognised estate agent)

• any information from the recognised estate agent showing that possible buyers did not want to view the property because of the expected effect of the search for a suitable site to host a GDF

• evidence that an offer you received was for an affected value (such as feedback from a possible buyer to your recognised estate agent, or local property market information showing the difference between the unaffected open market value of the property and the value of the offer received)

3.4 Criteria 4: No prior knowledge 

You bought your property before you could have been reasonably expected to be aware of the search for a suitable site to host a GDF in your community.

If you completed on the purchase or lease of your property before the formation of the Community Partnership was announced, that is enough to show that you had ‘no prior knowledge’ (that is, you did not know about the GDF proposals because they had not been published).

Formation of Community Partnerships occurred on the following dates:

• Mid Copeland – 16 November 2021 

• South Copeland – 14 December 2021 

• Theddlethorpe – 30 June 2022  

If your property only becomes eligible as a result of a Search Area being changed, your qualifying interest must have come about before the change was published.

If you bought your property after the formation of the Community Partnership, NWS may accept that you did so not knowing about the GDF proposals. When considering this, the PVP Panel and the decision-maker will look at the amount of information that was available at the time you bought your property. This may include:

• the information in the public domain about the potential for construction and operation of a GDF in the community

• information provided by your solicitor or the estate agent during the conveyancing process. NWS may request provision of copies of such information and correspondence

3.5 Criteria 5: Compelling need to sell 

You need to have a compelling need to sell your property and evidence that you would suffer an unreasonable burden if you are unable to sell your property.

This PVP scheme is intended to help people who have a compelling need to sell, and so would be put under an unreasonable burden if the search for a suitable site to host a GDF in their community meant that they were unable to sell their property except at a significantly reduced price.

Examples of compelling need to sell include (but are not limited to):

• unemployment
• dividing assets as part of a divorce settlement
• a significant change in health or mobility

If your application is fully or partly related to health and mobility issues, the PVP Panel will take the following into account when forming their recommendation.

• You should not have to take on extra help to carry out routine maintenance of your property because your medical condition (or conditions) means you cannot do the work you used to do yourself before the start of your medical condition

• you should not have to take on significant extra expense to adapt your property to meet your medical or mobility needs

• if your long-term health condition means you need significant support from your family, you should not be expected to live where you cannot access that support

• if your medical condition (or conditions) means that you will need to regularly use local amenities, you should not be expected to stay living in a location where you cannot access them easily and independently

The requirement to evidence a compelling need to sell is an established criteria used by other public sector property assistance schemes such as High Speed 2 and Crossrail.

4. The application process 

Now that you have read the criteria, please take time to read through the application process before completing the form.

It is your responsibility to supply all the evidence required to demonstrate that you satisfy the five criteria (or why in your specific case there are exceptional circumstances why you cannot meet a particular criteria). The decision about your application is based on the information and evidence you provide.

The PVP Case Officer will be able to provide guidance on the type of evidence that you should collect and submit as part of your application. The PVP Case Officer is not able to gather evidence on your behalf or advise you if your application will be successful or not.

4.1 Step one: Submit the application and supporting evidence 

• request an Application Form which can be completed either electronically or on paper, and send it to NWS with as much supporting evidence as you can provide

• examples of suitable documents that may be submitted as evidence are listed in the Application Form

4.2 Step two: Receipt of application 

• The PVP Team will acknowledge your application by email or letter and provide contact details for your PVP Case Officer

• the PVP Team will review your application to make sure it is ready for the PVP Panel to consider, including making sure it contains all of the information NWS have asked for on the Application Form

• if information is missing, or if you have not provided evidence for any of the criteria, the PVP Team will contact you directly. The PVP Team will also contact the recognised estate agents who are marketing your property and confirm any evidence that you have provided that relates to their work

• the PVP Team will pass your application to the PVP Panel for their consideration

4.3 Step three: PVP Panel consider the application 

• The PVP Panel will consider your application and the evidence that you have provided for each criteria

• Each application will be considered on its own merits, and on the evidence provided to show that the criteria have been satisfied

• The PVP Panel will not speak with the applicant nor undertake a site visit

• If all the PVP Panel members do not agree on a recommendation, the PVP Panel can make a recommendation by a majority vote

• The PVP Panel will then recommend to the NWS Chief Executive Officer, or their delegated representative, whether your application should be approved or not and why

4.4 Step four: Your application is decided  

The NWS Chief Executive Officer or their delegated representative will be provided with the recommendation from the PVP Panel for approval.

Decisions and reasons for the decision are provided in the decision letter.

4.5 Successful applications 

If your application is successful, the PVP Team will write to you setting out the next steps. This will include professional valuations of the property carried out by a surveyor working in accordance with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ valuation rules.

The valuations will be carried out by up to two independent valuers who must be registered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS):

• NWS will appoint one valuer
• You can appoint one other valuer. (Such valuer must also agree to take on the instruction including conditions on the format of the report and a maximum fee set by NWS)

You can use any valuer who is registered with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). NWS can provide you with a list of RICS registered valuers in your area, for information purposes. This does not mean that NWS recommends any particular valuer.

Your valuer must not have any conflict of interest relating to your property or your household (or anyone else connected to your application). For example, the valuer cannot be employed by or associated with the firm or person who is representing you in your application or have been involved in marketing your property in any way. This includes any estate agent who provided a market appraisal, even if you didn’t use that estate agent.

You can contact RICS to check if a valuer or firm is registered and has the appropriate qualifications: Welcome to RICS

NWS will also instruct external valuers to provide an open market valuation of your property in line with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; Valuation Professional Standards (January 2019). The full definition of open market value is:

The estimated amount for which an asset or liability should exchange on the valuation date between a willing buyer and a willing seller in an arm’s length transaction after proper marketing and where the parties had each acted knowledgeably, prudently and without compulsion.

The valuers which NWS will appoint are able to cover valuations over different areas of the proposed GDF locations.

NWS will instruct and pay for both valuations (subject to the maximum fee it has set).

Each valuer will carry out two valuations.

• The first valuation will be based on the unaffected open market value of the property (that is, the value of the property in current market conditions, as if there were no plans for the GDF). This is the unaffected open market value.

• The second valuation will assess what your property is actually worth today with the prospect of the GDF. This will not necessarily be the price you had marketed your property at. It will be an independent assessment, carried out by qualified chartered surveyors. This is the affected value.

• Both valuers will send their reports to NWS independently.

If the valuations are within 10% of each other (calculated by taking the difference between the two pairs of valuations as a percentage of the higher value), NWS will offer an Assistance Payment based on the average of the two.

If the valuations differ by more than 10% (calculated the same way), NWS will get another valuation from a third RICS valuer, most likely the District Valuer. NWS will give the third valuer the two previous valuation reports to consider, with the valuation figures removed. The offer will be made on the average of the closest two valuations.

If three valuations have been carried out and there are no two closest figures (that is, the highest and lowest figures are of equal distance from the middle figure), NWS will use the middle valuation figure.

In all cases the valuation date will be the date of the last valuation.

NWS will send you copies of all valuation reports and advise you of the maximum sum Assistance Payment that you are entitled to.

Valuation 1

NWS’s valuer and your valuer assess the unaffected open market value of your property.

• Our valuer’s valuation: £320,000
• Your valuer’s valuation: £300,000

The two valuations differ by less than 10%, so the unaffected open market value of your property would be £310,000.

Valuation 2

NWS’s valuer and your valuer assess the affected value of your property.

• Our valuer’s valuation: £260,000
• Your valuer’s valuation: £250,000

The two valuations differ by less than 10%, so the affected value of your property would be £255,000.

NWS would commit to making an Assistance Payment up to a maximum of £55,000 (the difference between the unaffected open market value and the affected value). The final sum payable will depend on the actual sale price you achieve for the property and will be the difference between the actual sale price and the unaffected open market value, up to £55,000 (in this case £55,000 would be the maximum sum Assistance Payment available).

You remarket your property at £255,000 and accept an offer at £260,000.

NWS would make an Assistance Payment of £50,000 payable on confirmation of completion of the sale by your solicitors.

The difference between these two valuations represents the maximum sum that NWS will pay to you on confirmation, from your solicitor or conveyancer, on completion of the sale of your property (the actual sum Assistance Payment).

If you achieve a sale price above the affected value, your actual sum Assistance Payment will be the difference between the unaffected value and the sale price.

If you achieve a sale price below the affected value, your actual sum Assistance Payment will be the maximum sum Assistance Payment.

4.6 Remarketing your property 

You will be expected to remarket the property at the affected value within two months of receiving the valuation figures from NWS. The valuations will remain valid for a period of six months from the date on which they are issued by NWS.

If you receive an offer at or above the affected value within this period, and you do not instruct your solicitors to begin the conveyancing process within two months, then your successful application will no longer be valid, and you will need to reapply for the PVP scheme.

If you do not receive an offer at or above the affected value within six months, then you can ask NWS for another valuation. If the revised affected value is more than 5% below the original affected value, you will be advised of your revised Assistance Payment and will be required to remarket the property at the new affected value.

If, at any point between the decision letter being sent to you and you exchanging contracts, you have a significant change of circumstances that may materially affect the decision made on your application, you must tell NWS. In these circumstances NWS reserves the right to review the decision. If NWS otherwise becomes aware of information, or of a significant change in circumstances, that would materially affect the decision made on your application, NWS similarly reserves the right to review the decision. This could result in NWS withdrawing its acceptance or offer of an Assistance Payment.

If this happens, the PVP Team will contact you to explain. They will support you to reapply to the PVP scheme to reflect the change in your circumstances, or to provide extra information to support your application if you are still eligible.

The Assistance Payment will not cover extra costs, such as agents’ fees, legal fees, or removal costs, because an applicant would normally meet these costs as part of selling a property.

4.7 Unsuccessful applications

If your application is unsuccessful, the PVP Team will write to tell you why.

You can reapply on the criteria on which you were unsuccessful if:

• there is a significant change in your circumstances since the date of your original application, or
• you can provide new evidence that may be relevant to the reason (or reasons) your application was unsuccessful

However:

• you must submit the application within six months of the date of your previous decision letter, and
• there must have been no significant change in your circumstances relating to the criteria on which you had previously applied successfully. If there has been such a change, when you re-apply you would need to cover all five criteria again

If you reapply within six months of the date of the previous decision letter, the Panel will see the details of the previous decision and the evidence relating to the successful criteria from your earlier application. This is so the PVP Panel have all the necessary information and evidence for the successful criteria and can fully consider your new application.

As long as you have declared that your circumstances have not changed, the Panel will not be able to recommend overturning the decision on the previously successful criteria.

If you reapply more than six months after the date of the previous decision letter, you will need to submit a completely fresh application.

5. Feedback

5.1 How to give feedback on the PVP scheme?

NWS welcomes feedback on the PVP scheme. To provide feedback, please: * Call our Helpdesk on 0300 369 0000 * Email NWS

5.2 What should I do if I am unhappy with the service I receive?

If you are not happy with how the PVP Team have managed your case, please call our Helpdesk on 0300 369 0000 or send an email.

There is no appeal process against the decision which has been made.

5.3 Data Protection

The PVP Team will hold paper and electronic copies of your documents in line with Data Protection legislation.

For information about how NWS will handle your personal information, please see our Privacy Notice

6. Key terms used in this Guidance 

Affected value: the value of the property that would likely be achieved on a sale in current market conditions, in light of the GDF proposals, as determined by independent RICS valuations.

Agricultural unit: land, which is occupied as a unit for agricultural purposes, which must include a residential property occupied by the same person for the purpose of farming the land.

• Agricultural purposes are horticulture, fruit growing, seed growing, dairy farming, breeding and keeping livestock; using land as grazing land, meadow land, osier land, market gardens or nursery grounds; and using land for woodland in a way that supports the farming of land or for other agricultural purposes

Assistance Payment: is the sum payable to a successful PVP applicant. The Assistance Payment will be the lesser of the maximum sum and the actual sum.

• maximum sum: will be calculated as the difference between the unaffected open market value and the affected value
• actual sum: will be calculated as the difference between the actual sale price and the unaffected open market value

Community Partnership: the Community Partnership comprises people from the local community, at least one relevant principal local authority in the Search Area and NWS and provides a vehicle for sharing information with the community and for finding answers to the questions the community may have about geological disposal, the siting process and how they, as a community, could benefit.

The role of the Community Partnership includes reviewing and refining the boundaries of the Search Area as NWS’s investigations progress.

Group Entities: Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Sellafield Limited (Company No. 01002607), Nuclear Restoration Services Limited (Company No. 02264251), Nuclear Waste Services (Company No. 05608448), Nuclear Transport Solutions (which comprises Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited (Company No. 01228109) and Direct Rail Services Limited (Company No. 03020822)), Rutherford Indemnity, NDA Archives (Company No. 09109416), NDA Properties Limited (Company No. 02970356) and Nuclear Academy Limited (trading as Energus (Company No. 06489856)) and any other subsidiaries incorporated by the NDA.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA): is the non-departmental body charged, on behalf of Government, with the mission to clean up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and cost effectively.

Nuclear Waste Services Limited (NWS): is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority tasked with developing a Geological Disposal Facility for the disposal of higher activity radioactive wastes.

Owner-occupier: anyone who owns an eligible property (either outright or with a mortgage) as a freehold, or on a fixed term lease which has at least three years left to run, and who meets the relevant occupation criteria set out in Section 4.

Proposed asking price: the price that a recognised estate agent advises you to use for the purpose of marketing your property to achieve a sale at the unaffected open market value.

PVP Panel: this is the panel who review and make recommendations on applications under the PVP scheme. The PVP Panel is made up of five people; three Panel members are external to NWS, one Panel member is a representative of NWS and one Panel member is a representative of the NDA.

Recognised estate agent: an estate agent who has experience of marketing properties in the local area, advertising through a variety of media. This can include estate agents who do not have an office in the local area but who, for example, speak to possible viewers, collect feedback, provide a For Sale board (or online listing) and a floor plan, and take professional photographs.

Relevant Principal Local Authorities (rPLAs): are the district councils, county councils or unitary authorities that represent people in all or part of the Search Area.

Reluctant Landlord: an individual submitting an application in relation to a property that they own but do not occupy in circumstances where they can show that the property they are applying for under the scheme is the only property that they own and that they stopped living there after the Community Partnership for the area in which they live was formed; and they can show that they now live in accommodation that they do not own.

Search Area: the Search Area is the geological area encompassing all the electoral wards within which NWS will be able to consider potential sites. For areas which include potential for development under the seabed, the Search Area will comprise only that area on land.

Site Characterisation: the Site Characterisation phase begins in a community when the Secretary of State approves NWS’s decision for that community to proceed to NWS’s deep borehole characterisation.

Unaffected open market value: the value of the property that would likely have been achieved at sale in current market conditions without the property being located in the Search Area, as if there were no search for a suitable site to host a GDF, as determined by independent RICS valuations.