Calls for new nuclear power on Romney Marsh have been set back.

A motion was put to Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) to urge the government to start “a new era of nuclear energy at Dungeness”.

It comes as Dungeness A and B have now both stopped producing power.

However, in what one councillor described as an “ambush”, the Green administration instead removed all references to Dungeness and nuclear power from the motion - despite previously telling KentOnline they were open to the idea.

Instead, leader of the council Jim Martin won a vote to amend the motion for “clean energy generation” and “the whole district” rather than new nuclear power at Dungeness.

But the move has been criticised by opposition Conservative councillors – with one claiming it shows no support to people in Dungeness.

Advocates say losing the nuclear industry locally would be a “disaster,” but opponents argue that other forms of clean energy should be prioritised instead.

FHDC is Kent’s only Green-led council and plays host to the county’s only nuclear power plant at Dungeness.

Green politicians there previously told the LDRS that they were open to the possibility of new nuclear power at the site, despite their party’s firm position against it.

At a meeting of FHDC’s full council last night (Wednesday), Conservative group leader Cllr Jenny Hollingsbee proposed the motion asking the authority to support possibilities for new nuclear power at the Dungeness complex.

Cllr Hollingsbee said: “I’m hoping that this will be a motion that will have the support of the chamber, it is a very important motion.

“I’m hoping that this council will support the efforts or make it very clear that they support the efforts of Kent County Council (KCC) and our MP Damian Collins to try to get continuation of nuclear at Dungeness.”

Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins has lobbied for years for the government and nuclear industry to consider Dungeness as a site for small modular reactors (SMR) - an in-development new form of nuclear technology.

The original motion called for the cabinet to write to Mr Collins, the minister for nuclear energy, Andrew Bowie, and KCC leader Roger Gough asking them to consider Dungeness for more nuclear power generation in future.

Dungeness used to have two nuclear reactors - Dungeness A is being decommissioned, and Dungeness B is being de-fuelled - with neither producing power anymore.

The site has not been included on a list of possible sites for SMRs by manufacturer Rolls-Royce.

Cllr Hollingsbee continued: “To lose Dungeness, to lose nuclear energy in our area, would be a disaster.

“Lots of people say to me we’ll have tourism and we’ll have other industries coming in, but they will not and they cannot provide the skilled jobs and the salaries that the nuclear industry actually does.”

Cllr David Wimble (Ind) seconded the motion, telling members: “Dungeness power station is the job I had when I first left school.

“Dungeness power station has single-handedly changed the way that the Marsh not only survives but is a major contributor to the whole economic benefit of the council and the district.”

However, council leader Cllr Jim Martin (Green), proposed to amend the motion to remove all direct mentions of Dungeness and nuclear power.

“We need an integrated energy strategy, one that includes all forms of clean energy generation that we can produce domestically,” he said.

“This will review the relative merits of all forms of clean energy generation – wind, solar, hydro, tidal and wave, as well as the installation of the SMR referred to in the motion.”

He had previously told the LDRS that “personally” he is “not in favour of nuclear power generation because of the risk and because of the waste,” but that since the power plant already exists, if the government is going to build SMRs, “then Dungeness is a good place”.

Green Party national policy is to completely phase out all nuclear power generation.

Members of the Green minority administration backed the changes, with Cllr Stephen Scoffham (Green) saying: “Finding better ways of generating energy, ways that are genuinely environmentally sound is a key challenge for us locally, nationally and internationally.”

“This is an opportunity to broaden the motion and to be more diverse across the district,” added Cllr Rich Holgate (Green).

Labour members backed it too, with Cllr Nicola Keen (Lab) saying: “We’re elected in our wards but we’re district councillors so we think about the whole district, not Dungeness, not Folkestone, not Lydd, and I think I’m in favour of this motion because it’s about the whole of the district and not just one area.”

However, Cllr Clive Goddard (Con) described the amendments as an “ambush,” and argued that the point was to specifically discuss Dungeness.

Cllr David Godfrey (Con) argued that the power plant has brought “tremendous benefits over the past 50 to 60 years”.

“If you vote against this now you’re showing the people of the district that you do not support the people at Dungeness, that’s what you’re doing,” Cllr Hollingsbee said.

However, the amended motion with no reference to Dungeness or nuclear power was passed instead, with 21 votes in favour, six against, and no abstentions.