Representation by Prof Howard S Wheater
- Date submitted
- 28 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Submission to Planning Inspectorate Regarding the NNB Generation Company (SZC) Limited DCO Application for Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station and Associated Works Relevant Representation of Professors H.S. Wheater [Redacted] We write as owners of a property in Marlesford, a small village in Suffolk that straddles the A12 and is the proposed location for the Southern Park and Ride site associated with the Sizewell C development. While we support nuclear power as an important component of the UK power generation capacity, and in particular to supplement renewable energy sources to meet future needs for zero carbon, we have serious concerns about the proposed management of the EDF Sizewell C development, and its impacts on our community. In particular: 1. The A12 north of Wickham Market is currently a single carriageway road and has since the 1980s been regarded as inadequate for the volume of traffic using it. This is currently a major issue for Marlesford, with significant delays for the village residents in crossing the road, or in turning onto it with a vehicle. The additional traffic expected from the EDF and Scottish power proposals will significantly increase these pressures. The long-established 4 village bypass plan has been ignored by EDF, and the 2 village bypass currently proposed is not only inadequate for the additional traffic proposed but also fails to address the needs for future integration with the larger 4 bypass scheme. More generally, EDF’s proposals heavily emphasize road transport, while failing to adequately address the potential of rail and sea access. 2. The proposed Southern Park and Ride site pose significant threats to the village of Marlesford, from noise pollution, air pollution and other environmental impacts. We are concerned that there has been an almost complete lack of site investigation, and proposals for the design are generic. The analysis is based largely on professional judgements of existing conditions. Many aspects of the proposal deal with the identification of best practices for mitigating the impacts of construction and operations of the park-and-ride with little clarity as to whether they would be implemented or not. As a result, there is a high level of uncertainty as to what the eventual impacts will be. For example, significant threats to surface water and to groundwater abstractions have been identified, but while sustainable drainage solutions are proposed, no information is currently available on the local soils and aquifers to determine whether options proposed will be suitable. More generally, the criteria used for the assessment of local environmental impacts are strongly biased against local residents. Low sensitivity is associated with “using a resource that is appreciated by the local community but has little or no wider recognition of its value for recreation.” The assessment criteria are set up to undervalue local sensibilities and recreational resources, which are important to village life, defining a sense of place and community. 3. We disagree with holding a complex DCO examination virtually. We believe that the public should be allowed to attend in person and if the Sizewell C Examination has to be delayed to accommodate that, and we ask that PINS allows this to happen. Professors Howard S Wheater [Redacted]