Representation by Alistair Cairns
- Date submitted
- 29 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Broadly in line with the concerns set out by the Alde and Ore Association - who I think have done excellent research on this issue, I believe that the proposed planning application for Sizewell C should be rejected. To the extent does not happen forthwith, the decions shoudl certainly be delayed until all Covid restrictions have been lifted to enable a proper open consultation. My immediate concerns are include: 1. The extensive papers submitted by EDF do not begin to address the issue of coastal erosion around Sizewell Bay - which is narrow and vulnerable. They seem to assume that nothing will change south of the Great Sizewell Bay. There is no evidence to explain this assumption despite the fact that the entire coastline has been constantly evolving over the medium and longer term, including Dunwich losing its port and the Alde and Ore Estuary being formed. 2. EDF's plans on the exact construction of Sizewell C and its sea defences are inadequate and vague. It is not possible to assess the likely impact on coastal flows when the plans for hard core construction are not given. They do not seem ot have taken this issue seriously or even into account. 3. The plant at Sizewell C will be in situ for not only its 70 or so years of operation but almost certainly many decades longer. Yet, the plans propose ceasing to monitor the impact of the installation and any coastal defence works on front of the plant around 10 years before it ceases operations. This is mistaken as the physical plant, operating or not, will affect coastal erosion indefinitely. There is no plan for restoring the site after it is decommissioned. 4. Were the plans to go ahead, there should to be a ongoing Independent Monitoring Authority set up and given responsibility for ongoing monitoring the impact on the coast, not only for plant safety but for the impact on the surrounding area. It would need to be funded (or given clear legal powers to obtain funding from the operator) to implement any mitigation strategies that become necessary to counter any adverse effects of the impact of the construction. The complete monitoring and mitigation plan must be properly funded: if the coast south of Sizewell C does get adversely affected, long term funds must be kept available for coastal defence works, including for the surrounding area including Thorpenss and Aldeburgh to at least Shingle Street - including after the plant has been decommissioned. 5. Despite the plans being submitted in 2020, the latest information on climate change, sea level rise and coastal evolution does not appear to have been taken into account, undermining the soundness of any assessments. The application uses the UK CCRA report 2018 estimates, not those of the IPPC in 2019: the developers must be aware that latest information showed that the impact of these factors would be far greater than previously thought. 6. Given the contentious nature of the application I think it is totally unsuitable for a digital examination process and should rather be debated in public forum.