Representation by Tina Smith
- Date submitted
- 29 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I wish to raise the following points of concern regarding the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station development: Site location Sizewell is the wrong place to locate this project. Sea level rise will threaten the viability and safety of the site. The coastline around Sizewell is also very unstable and subject to coastal processes and erosion that are not fully understood and are set to get more intense due to climate change, and so are unpredictable over the lifespan of the project. Putting a nuclear power station so close to an unstable coastline is too much of a risk. The rising sea levels could make the area an island and the planned hard coastal defences needed to protect the power station are likely to make coastal erosion worse to the north and south of the site. The adverse impact that the project will have on the adjacent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest is simply unacceptable. Noise, light, vibration and air pollution will threaten both the health of local people and of wildlife habitats and populations. The RSPB has said that the development will be "catastrophic for wildlife" at their internationally-renowned Minsmere reserve and it is also opposed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has just committed to "restoring to nature 30 per cent of Britain by 2030, to turn back the clock of the loss of biodiversity." Destroying vital and sensitive wildlife habitat goes against this commitment. Community, economic and social impacts The project requires 6000 temporary workers to come and live in the area during the construction phase, with 2400 living in a worker's campus in an unsuitable location which I oppose. The local amenities will not be able to cope with such an influx. Health, social and emergency services will be placed under extra pressure. Transport The road based transport plan is not sustainable and would have an enormous and adverse impact on local communities and the visitor economy. HGV numbers are as high as those under “Road-Led” proposals rejected by all the statutory consultees in consultations, with up to 1140 HGVs and 700 buses a day on the A12 and local roads. Suffolk County Council has said that EDF's link road will have no long-term use and it would sever communities, damage the rural footpath system and divide farmland. Environment and Landscape The site will be at risk of flooding due to the loss of flood storage from the development site. The development will result in noise, light and traffic pollution. It will cause irreparable harm to Minsmere - a flagship destination of international importance and significance. Impacts on Marsh Harriers threaten the integrity of the Special Protection Area. It will have a catastrophic impact on landscape character because of locality, design and scale; the construction severs the AONB. It will be impossible to compensate for landscape and ecological damage and the project won’t offset CO2 from construction for at least 6 years. There are risks to groundwater levels and surrounding habitats and ecology, and abstraction of water compounds these risks. I wish to endorse the Relevant Representations submitted by Stop Sizewell C, RSPB and Suffolk Wildlife Trust. I wish to state that I consider the Sizewell C application to be totally unsuitable for a digital examination process.