Representation by Family Mellen (Family Mellen)
- Date submitted
- 28 August 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Upon moving to [Redacted] we went to see the initial plans for Sizewell C and were told that our small parcel of land that came with our house and is integral to our future plans, formed part of the green railway route. The field is 9 acres and if the railway were to go ahead, construction, use and decommissioning of the railway 12 years later will have a massive impact on the quality of our lives and delay the plans we have for the field. Unlike many local landowners this is all we have in terms of land and we have developed exciting plans to transform the 9 acres from its current use and create a wildflower meadow and haven for wildlife to benefit our neighbours (all local Farmers) with diverse pollinators for crops and our guest with a peaceful area to enjoy the wealth of wildlife Suffolk has to offer. This will form part of our plans to develop some of our derelict farm buildings into holiday cottages and offer our guests a tranquil place to spend time as part of the holiday package. The field in short is integral to our business plan and retirement security. The key impacts the railway will have are as follows; • Visual impact on the views. The spoil from the excavation will be banked up around the site to create bunding, but the depth of the cut for the track will be such that the huge volume of spoil will block our views to the East and South from our property. • The construction will be very close to our home and will undoubtedly be very noisy during the construction phase , Rail service phase as well as the decommissioning phase. For 12 years we will have an undisclosed number of trains (this number keeps changing and getting confirmation has been impossible) running close by carrying heavy loads so will be noisy. Then of course all the initial noise pollution will be replicated at decommissioning 12 years later. • The construction will not just be noisy, but will create a huge amount of pollution from dust, dirt, vehicles and people trudging around the land adjacent to our home, which at present is the most peaceful place and is buzzing with wildlife. • Our movement will be restricted because the footpath from our field directly into Leiston will be closed, we will now have to walk along a busy road. The roads will suffer closure and diversion in the local area due to the works needed at Abbey Rd and Lovers Lane. This has been much played down, but when you actually look at the gradient of the railway vs the level of the road, a huge amount of work will be needed to bring the road up to the level of the railway. • Replicate all that on decommissioning 12 years later. • A 12 year delay and or disruption to our archaeological and environmental stewardship plans to the field as follows o Reinstate the medieval path discovered by EDF during archaeological digs (we have never been given the results of those digs or any items found despite being told there were some o Creating a wildflower meadow to attract pollinators to all the surrounding fields o Installing empty beehives to attract wild bee colonies to the meadow o Installing bat boxes in the trees to encourage bats to the meadow, we already have many bats in the area o Creating a pond to encourage newts, frogs, dragonflies etc o Tree planting programme including only native species and some rare trees and plants such as pyramidal orchids o Reinstating hedgerows along the perimeter of the meadow to encourage dormice and nesting birds o We currently have colonies of swallows, swifts and house martins nesting in our barns and outbuildings which we take great care to accommodate as we develop the site. We already encourage and undertake mitigation measures while they are here during the summer. We feel very worried that this huge project will without doubt disrupt the colonies feeding and breeding territories We moved to Suffolk for [Redacted] , both of us having [Redacted], obviously we had set out to have a very different lifestyle to improve our health and to try and do some good. We feel vehemently that this power station with its outdated technology is far too big for the site and not the correct solution to the Energy need the country has . It will cause far too much destruction to our already threated wildlife species and that greener and genuinely low carbon renewable alternatives are much more suitable for this coastline. EDF plan to tear up the countryside for 12 years, to offer only 25 years of power. We are both in the Autumn season of our lives with any hope, time is very precious to us to achieve our goals and provide a lasting legacy to our children. How can 12 years of filthy destructive high carbon construction for only 25 years of power be good value for the bill payers or the local residents (when I say residents I include the animals that have no say in the matter at all despite this being there home as much as ours)? Local residents are very worried about what will be done with the poisonous nuclear waste from the “A” plant, because we know a solution has not yet been found. How can we with a clear conscience go ahead and create more deadly waste that we have no idea how to dispose of. It will be our children and theirs that will pay the price and we just will not sit back and let that happen. What are the government doing about safely decommissioning Sizewell A and B? how can we have any faith in C when there appears to be no plans or anyone taking responsibility for the deadly toxic waste that threatens all our lives. With coastal erosion and extreme weather events caused by undeniable climate change it just seems a treacherous risk to continue with this project and have no plans to keep us safe from the old plants. Should the worst happen with the waste or worse and accident to C due to a breach from the sea, the effects would be felt far wider than we could image. This is not just an issue for the little communities on the Suffolk coast, this will be a problem our children and their children will be left to deal with and no one seems to be considering how poisonous and wicked this legacy could be.