"We just want to make sure that we don't get all the negatives" ... Lord Mayor Graeme Sawyer. (Reuters: Christian Charisius, file photo)

The Darwin City Council says a new uranium storage and handling facility proposed for Darwin's main port could pose a risk to the environment.

BHP Billiton is considering a facility at the East Arm Port to export up to 1.6 million tonnes of uranium oxide a year, once it expands its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia.

The Darwin Lord Mayor, Graeme Sawyer, says this poses a range of issues, including possible leakage during cyclones and tidal storm surges.

"BHP have made some assurances that the stuff that they're dealing with is not on the high end of the dangerous scale," Mr Sawyer said.

"But we'd like some independent analysis of that and a range of assurances on some of it.

"There's going to be some material on that site which needs to be very safely handled so there's a whole range of issues."

He says he is concerned about the impact the plan will have on the city's environment and lifestyle.

"We just want to make sure that we don't get all the negatives that come with these things without putting in place strategies to mitigate them.

"It'd be nice to have the jobs, nice to have the money that comes from the business component.

"But it won't be nice to have any environmental disasters or any ongoing problems with things like housing affordability and stuff that really aren't necessary."