Representation by Hubbard family (Hubbard family)
- Date submitted
- 24 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I have the following concerns about Sizewell C: Transport • Road: a construction transport strategy which is largely based on road transport shows limited understanding of local conditions: o The A12 is a key road for local residents for trips to work, school, shopping and socialising, as well as being a key artery for tourists and business: long tailbacks happen regularly, given that it is only dualled in places. I cannot see how it will cope with 650 HGV movements on peak days (and 1,000 movements on the busiest days) in addition to all those additional 2,000 “local” workers who EDF expect to live up to 90 minutes away from Sizewell. o The B1122 is busy, particularly at times of shift changes at Sizewell B. Whilst the Sizewell Link Road may mitigate traffic flow challenges from the north, I remain very concerned that many workers will continue to drive through Leiston from the South which will make the town’s roads even more congested and the noise/pollution along Abbey Road intolerable. o The two park and ride sites are proposed by EDF to reduce traffic coming into Leiston/Sizewell: how will the Planning process ensure that these park and ride sites are used? • Rail: whilst recognising that the intention is to use landscape buffers to reduce the noise of the freight trains along the Green Rail route, I am concerned that the residents in Abbey Road and ProCorda music school will be impacted by the dual menace of the noise of the trains, and the noise and air pollution caused by traffic waiting to cross the temporary level crossing. Have options to reduce the potential impact by tunnelling the line under the B1122/Abbey Line been considered? Environment • I understand that the RSPB and Suffolk Wildlife Trust have significant concerns that the construction of such a large development taking up to 12 years could have a irreparable adverse impact on the rich, but fragile, local environment. I look to them for guidance on such matters and endorse their comments. Coastal hydrodynamics/climate change resilience • The coast is eroding: are the designs sufficiently detailed and robust to mitigate this risk? Do the costings reflect the mitigation measures required? • Sea level increases are expected to lead to flooding along the coast: how safe will Sizewell C be during its 60 years of operation? The cost of risk mitigation in the long term • By developing Sizewell C in an environmentally sensitive and fragile coastal location, there will be a requirement for long term monitoring and risk mitigation. Given the long term trends away from nuclear power, is there a danger that the profitability of Sizewell C will decline over time, resulting in a need to start cutting operational costs, including risk mitigation costs?