Representation by Deborah Booth
- Date submitted
- 27 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
We live in Harrogate and for 20 years have lived in France, but over this time we and our children have had many holidays in Eastbridge from which we have visited Minsmere. We have found nothing like Minsmere in France. Minsmere is a classic example of the conservation of threatened habitats and the protection of threatened species. It is a model to the world for the engagement of children in conservation. It provided our children with hands on experience of pond dipping and bird ringing and for older chil-dren it provides the opportunity to participate in conservation projects. The threats that Minsmere faces from the proposal to build Sizewell C are enor-mous. The RSPB speaks with a measured voice, but if they say that the construction of Sizewell C “could be catastrophic” for the wildlife at Minsmere then I urge you to listen to that voice. I find it quite shocking the EDF has not done so. If you look at the successive submissions from RSPB to EDF you will see that in each submission there is a statement that the concerns raised in previous submissions have not been addressed. The success of Minsmere depends on the water levels and the quality of water in the Minsmere and Sizewell Marshes. Migrant birds depend on the mud flats, rare plants, birds and dragonflies thrive in the marshes while the Minsmere River is fished by Ot-ters. EDF will extract vast quantities of water from these marshes to make concrete for one of the largest building projects in the country. More water must be pumped out to keep dry a 30 metre deep trench, and will surround an area the size of a football pitch, in order to provide foundations for the reactors. Construction of a causeway be-tween the Sizewell and Minsmere Marshes is likely to raise water levels in the for-mer and lower it in the latter. EDF has given no information on the dimensions of the sea defences. There are some sketches of provisional plans but no engineering drawings of what they plan to do. And as sea levels rise the Sizewell site is likely to become an island at some point in the next 140 years, during which time radioactive waste from the reactors will be stored on the site. Shockingly, there is no plan for the long term safety of the site. EDF has predicted that 750 HGVs ,10,000 cars, 700 vans and 700 buses will drive down the A12 each day and that two thirds of these will cross the Orwell Bridge. This will cause significant traffic congestion. Minsmere will be the most affected, because the traffic will be going to and from Sizewell, but this whole coastline will be much less accessible to visitors. Has there been an independent assessment of the costs to tourism of the proposed construction of Sizewell C? I fully support Stop Sizewell C and their statements and consider the examination for development consent to be too complex to be dealt with digitally.