Representation by Philip Gough
- Date submitted
- 24 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I wish to raise the following concerns I have about the proposal to build two new reactors at Sizewell. This side (eastern) of England is tipping slowly into the sea. Sea levels are rising and the coast is eroding. Sea defences will not only be inadequate for the length of time needed to protect the site (100s of years), they will also have unforseeable effects on the local ecology and present a flooding risk. Where will the potable water come from needed to for construction? There is a risk to groundwater levels. Much of the adjacent land is vulnerable and protected. The AONB will be split. RSPB Minsmere is a site of world importance. Local habitats are fragile. Noise, dust and traffic pollution will be an insuperable problem for 1000s of local people. 12-15 years of construction works on a vast scale will not only change the local environment for the worse, it will also deter tourists. This area depends on tourism. People will not come any more. The local infrastructure cannot support the projected inundation of lorries, rail freight and workers (commuting from across the county through ‘rat runs’ and living on site). NE Suffolk is sparsely populated and the roads are small and circuitous, often running through villages. Communities will be split by proposed new roads. Farms will be cut in half. The way of life of people living anywhere nearby would be severely compromised. Local services (health, care, emergency services) cannot cope with the present poulation and level of activity let alone with the impact of a large new town being dumped on our rural idyll. I do not believe that the carbon emissions produced would be offset anything like as quickly as EDF claims. In addition, renewables like wind, tidal and solar are getting cheaper by the month, and battery technology is advancing steadily. By the time Sizewell C is completed (if that ever happens given the problems at Olkiluoto in Finland, Flamanville in France and Hinkley, and EDF‘s dire financial situation, plus its need to decommission and renovate dozens of reactors in France) nuclear technology may well be redundant. I wish to endorse the relevant representation submitted by Stop Sizewell C, the RSPB and Suffolk Wildlife Trust. I would like to state that I consider the Sizewell C application to be totally unsuitable for a digital examination process. Thank you for reading this!