Representation by Anthony Ellam
- Date submitted
- 26 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am opposed to the proposed development on the following grounds: The Site: It is surrounded by designated sites of international and national ecological importance and sites of landscape, cultural heritage and amenity value which will all be adversely impacted. It will require the acquisition and destruction of areas which are inside the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) that prized by residents and visitors to the area. Climate change forecasts by the Environment Agency predict that Sizewell will be an island in a century: it will still, by then, be storing lethal spent nuclear fuel as well as operational and decommissioned nuclear reactors. Insufficient protection afforded by hard sea defences; risk of flooding. Amenities Increased traffic – upto 1140 HGVs per day, 700 buses and 10,000 cars/vans per day for the entire construction period of between nine and 12 years – will bring misery to thousands. Cars and vans servicing the site will seek out rat runs to avoid traffic gridlock on the A12, in particular through villages like Wickham Market. There will be significant increases in noise, light, air, dust pollution and disruption effecting local communities. Tourists to the area will decline to visit, severely harming the tourist trade on which the area largely depends. An estimated £40m a year in lost revenues is predicted. The influx of an estimated 6,000 workers will put pressure on local services including NHS and emergency services. The siting of worker campuses will disturb existing residents and increase local traffic. Footpaths which are familiar to and well used by local residents will be closed. Coronation Wood will be felled. Traffic The massive increase in HGV movements, light van deliveries and workers’ car journeys will change the traffic profile in East Suffolk detrimentally for a decade at least. It will require five new roundabouts on the A12. Traffic will be gridlocked while the new road layout is under construction and possibly for longer periods due to the huge increase in HGVs. Relief roads will divide communities and farms. Insufficient use of rail and sea transport. Environment The carbon reduction benefits of Sizewell C are limited, despite EdF’s claims. It will take at least 6 years before the carbon debt created by the construction of the plant to be off-set, i.e. not until 2040 if the plant is completed by 2034. Fresh water demand for Sizewell C will require 3 million litres a day in an area which is the most water-scarce in the country. Spoil heaps unmanaged. RSPB Minsmere will be put under intolerable pressure. This prized national asset for birds and wildlife will be compromised. Water abstraction may affect groundwater levels and represent a risk to the wider environment. Business case: Consideration must be given the economic advantages of investing in and developing wind farms and solar energy instead of nuclear energy.