Work to demolish one of Suffolk's best-known buildings could start this summer.
The Turbine Hall at the Sizewell A nuclear power station will be pulled down and removed from the landscape as part of the decommissioning process for the plant.
The site generated 110 terawatt hours of electricity during its 40 years of operation and shut down in 2006.
Work has been taking place over the past decade on the decommissioning phase with a focus on waste management and hazard reduction.
Some major demolition has already taken place with the removal of the cooling water crane and two off-shore structures, and the reactors have been de-fuelled along with cleaning of the cooling ponds.
Other facilities on the 25-acre site are also being dismantled and cleared, including the administration building, engineering building and C02 plant. The demolition of the National Grid sub-station is also planned.
Documents submitted to East Suffolk Council by Magnox Ltd propose starting work on the demolition of the Turbine Hall and associated buildings in August and the work could take until October 2024.
The buildings - which Magnox say pose safety and environmental hazards because of their gradual degradation - would be taken down to eight metres below ground level.
It will take 770 lorry movements to remove all the waste from the demolition.
The Turbine Hall was home to two turbines as well as transformers and switch rooms.
During operation of the Sizewell A nuclear reactor, steam generated in the reactor’s four boilers was used to drive the two large turbines located within the Turbine Hall.
The steam was then cooled back to water by passing seawater through condensing units located beneath the steam turbines. The cooling water intake and outfall structures are still present offshore and are connected to the turbine hall by large underground culverts.
East Suffolk Council has decided to take a "precautionary approach" and says that it cannot rule out "significant effects on the environment" from the demolition work with RSPB Minsmere, North Warren and other protected habitats nearby.
It has asked Magnox to prepare an Environmental Impact Assessment before consent is given.
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