The nuclear industry has had a presence in Risley since the mid 1940s, as a follow on from the Royal Ordnance Factory that the government set up in the early 1940s covering nearly 1,000 acres. When Government set up UKAEA to be responsible for research and development of both civilian and military atomic energy, they operated from part of the factory. That part of Risley is now known as Birchwood Science Park. .

The formation of BNFL in the 1970s with headquarters at Risley strengthened the nuclear industry's presence there. Birchwood Science Park now has a significant number of companies that work within the nuclear sector, although many of them are multi-disciplinary. The major companies have capabilities in Design, Project Management, Civil Engineering, Planning, Safety Case Authors, Contract Managers and many other disciplines. In addition to the large organizations, there are companies throughout the supply chain located in and around the Birchwood area, as Warrington has had a long history of engineering in the area.

With the Government's strategy for decommissioning nuclear sites throughout the UK, in conjunction with the Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance, a sub-regional partnership, Warrington Borough Council has taken particular interest in the socio-economic impact this would have jobs in the area. To help to address these issues, a Forum was introduced to address some of these issues. This has included developing relationships with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the North West Development Agency, British Nuclear Engineering Society, Cogent SSC and many other parties active in the nuclear sector.