Representation by David Peter Napier Grant
- Date submitted
- 25 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Transport strategy - EDF’s road-based transport strategy is not acceptable in the 21st century with an unreasonable adverse impact on local communities, and significant damage to the important local tourist and agricultural industries. - East Suffolk’s already challenged road network is unable to accommodate the road-based strategy; the Orwell Bridge and the A12 north are already at capacity at peak times. - The limited bypasses proposed simply join bottlenecks and destroy communities. - There is insufficient justification for the rejection of extensive rail use. - There is insufficient consideration of the combined traffic impacts of several other energy projects planned for the region and proposing to use the same road network. Sizewell Link Road (SLR) - EDF has not justified their choice of the routing of the SLR in preference to the old D2 route, preferred by Suffolk County Council. - Landscape and heritage assets will be damaged by substantial embankments and cuttings. SLR is too close to, and will physically split the villages being by-passed, making farms and fields uneconomic with absolutely no legacy benefit/use to the local communities following project completion. - EDF has dismissed alternative routes with a far lesser impact and greater legacy value with insufficient justification. - SLR needs to go 'over' the existing Fordley Road to allow rapid access for residents of Middleton, Middleton Moor, Theberton and Westleton to Doctors surgeries, supermarkets and the train station in Saxmundham. - The current access/egress proposed to/from the SLR onto Fordley Road is ill-conceived and impractical. Fordley Road is a single track road with no Passing Places and totally unsuitable for HGV's. - Under EDF's proposals, Fordley Road will simply become a highly dangerous 'rat run' for construction traffic with absolutely no benefit to local users. - The SLR has not been thought through operationally in terms of traffic leaving the project site and going north on the A12 or west on the B1120. Shift changeover traffic will present a very real danger at the unmanned railway crossing on the B1122 and proposed new roundabout on at Yoxford Use of the existing B1122 in the ‘Early Years’ - High numbers of HGVs will use the existing B1122 to the site for at least two ‘Early Years’ (as defined by EDF) before the proposed Link Road is useable. These numbers are close to those planned once the road is complete. This begs the question as to whether the SLR is really needed at all.... - High ‘Early Years’ HGV numbers were not presented in any of the Consultations. Ecology Issues - EDF has conducted 'surveys' (using ARCADIS) - these are of lamentable depth or quality. I have commissioned my own independent surveys of the same issues to demonstrate that EDF's are 'box ticking' at best. Substantial damage to wildlife habitats is inevitable if SLR proceeds on the current basis. I wish to endorse the Relevant Representation submitted by Stop Sizewell C, and Middleton and Theberton Parish Councils. I wish to state that I consider the Sizewell C application to be totally unsuitable for a digital examination process.