Representation by Anthony Middleditch
- Date submitted
- 23 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
As my home lies within [redacted] of the B1122 my wife and I will be personally affected if the SZC project goes ahead as our lives will be made a misery by the unacceptable level of construction traffic so close to our home. I have asked EDF to carry out a full structural and environmental study to assess the impact of their traffic on our home.They have failed to do this. As I have spent the majority of my career working in the field of Operational Research and Mathematical Modelling I feel qualified to comment on the traffic analysis performed by EDF in their DCO application. I have discussed these studies with EDF's experts at each of the Consultation Phases and have studied the relevant sections in their DCO application. EDF claim that as a result of their studies there will be no major congestion problems on the A12 at Yoxford. Having personally studied the traffic flows in this area over many years there are issues with the A12/A1120 junction at Yoxford which at peak times can cause severe congestion. This can only get worse due to the extra SZC construction traffic and the building of a new roundabout at the nearby A12/B1122 junction. Having studied in detail the assumptions made by EDF in their modelling I can understand why their results do not match the observed traffic flows. In my considered opinion EDF have made a number of assumptions which cannot be justified and which lead to an optimistic assessment of the situation. I therefore conclude that their studies are seriously flawed and are not fit for purpose. I have been a lifelong member of the RSPB and often visit their reserve at Minsmere. I am very concerned about the impact that the SZC construction will have on this unique haven for wildlife as I am convinced that it will be impossible for EDF to mitigate the damage it will cause. I leave the detailed assessment of the impact on wildlife to those organisations better qualified to make these arguments.