ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights points of divergence and convergence in the trajectories of participation with nuclear waste governance and new nuclear build, with issues of scale playing a crucial role in redefining the ways in which participation is carried out. It provides an overview of key geographical themes in existing work on energy infrastructure siting in general and nuclear infrastructure siting in particular. Much of the existing geographical literature on energy infrastructure siting policy in general and nuclear sites in particular has centred on the notion of 'not in my back yard' – defined in terms of locally organised, often emotional, campaigns opposing a locally unwanted land use. An emerging feature of the post-political condition is the way in which agreement can be negotiated through the technique of appealing to universal themes. Post-political arguments emphasise how the management of dissent is characterised by carefully allocating the handling of controversial issues to alternative methods and scales of planning.
