Representation by Jackum Brown
- Date submitted
- 28 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I wish to register my opposition to EDF’s planning application for Sizewell C. My overarching concern is that this project is sited in the wrong place, at the wrong time, at an unbearable cost both to the local environment and wider Suffolk. I have grave concerns about: ROADS/TRAFFIC There will be increased traffic for decades on all Suffolk’s roads, including lanes that do not allow for passing cars. Between Peasenhall and Yoxford/A12 there are several narrow lanes that will become rat runs as drivers avoid the junction there by accessing Darsham Park&Ride from the west. The building of 5 roundabouts plus new roads means everyday travel will become progressively more difficult. Unnecessary deaths will occur as Blue Light services fail to reach victims quickly - an accident at Sizewell would be utterly disastrous. I own a listed Chapel [Redacted]. Residents will suffer years of hugely increased noise, light, exhaust emissions and vibrations, adversely affecting our physical and mental health. Vibration and air pollution will damage the fabric of my Chapel, in particular the fragile, original, leaded stained glass windows. EDF have made no genuine effort to utilise rail or sea transport. THE ENVIRONMENT The Heritage Coast and its protected landscapes are Suffolk’s heartland - we ruin them at our peril. The land-take for Sizewell C is vastly more than the main site, as to access it acres of farmland will be lost, divided by new roads, roundabouts, by-passes, lay-up areas and vast car parks. We will lose our quality of life: tranquility, much used footpaths, the beach and its rare flora and fauna, our famous dark skies. Dunwich Heath will be negatively impacted and our AONB despoiled, run-off from the road polluting the SSSI. RSPB Minsmere will lose many species, including irreplaceable Red Listers such as Marsh Harriers. Swathes of trees will be felled. TOURISM Tourism will vanish as journey times double or treble. Our visitor attractions will be gone and our coastal towns and rural villages will suffer 24/7 construction noise, light and air pollution, with the appalling visual impact visible for miles around. COASTAL PROCESSES This coast is eroding, seas are rising much faster than forecasted and extreme weather events occur more frequently. Building anything here is pointless, yet EDF plan to store more (and ‘hotter’) waste here for decades. There is no safe, long-term storage solution and EDF admit climate change impacts are so unpredictable they cannot realistically plan further than 10 years ahead. The plant will kill tonnes of fish every day for decades, deeply damaging North Sea fish stocks. POTABLE WATER EDF need 2-3 million litres of potable water per day throughout the construction and life of the plant. Essex and Suffolk Water say they do not have it. 6,000 incoming workers will also need fresh water. If EDF extract it from the aquifer we will all suffer. COVID 19 EDF grabbed the opportunity afforded them by the pandemic to forge ahead with their plans, thus ensuring that neither Councillors nor the public could fully participate in the process.