Representation by Rendham Parish Council (Rendham Parish Council)
- Date submitted
- 29 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
Relevant Representation for Rendham Parish Council on Sizewell C DCO 1. Rendham is a village on the B1119 between Saxmundham and Framlingham approximately 2 miles west of the A12 and 11 miles west of Sizewell. Issues with the project extend to other parishes surrounding the village in which parishioners spend their day to day lives. 2. Rendham Parish Council accepts the general principle of sustainable energy production but has concerns about some of the negative impacts of the submitted proposals for Sizewell C. Our main points are set out below: Traffic & Transport: 3. High levels of traffic on A12 which our parishioners must cross to access local amenities, increase in HGVs, White vans and cars on the A12 will result in Air pollution, Noise pollution and may cause local roads & B1119 (which runs through Rendham) to become a rat run. 4. Hindering emergency vehicles accessing the village. 5. Reduced road safety. 6. Exacerbated by a total lack of public transport in the area. 7. Inadequate changes to the junction at A12/ B1119. MITIGATION: More sophisticated SAT NAV on HGVs and Sizewell van traffic. Signage saying “No Sizewell C traffic or construction traffic” ANPR with penalties for offenders. After construction phase, better cycle routes. Cumulative Impact: 8. Other Energy projects planned for this area include SPR’s EAN1 & EAN2 plus National Grid Interconnector, Nautilus and Eurolink. These will, if granted, impact Rendham through the additional HGV traffic they will generate on the local road network along with the cumulative environmental effects to the surrounding area. Economic and social impacts: 9. Visitors will be deterred from coming to the area during construction, thereby damaging the village’s tourist economy. 10. Construction workers in temporary accommodation in Caravan parks locally may have negative social impact. 11. Possible strain on local health and other services. Site selection: 12. No design available for hard coastal defences feature HCDF. 13. Sea level rises, Climate Change & Flooding. 14. Adverse effect on coastal process. 15. Site of ecological importance SSSI. Environment and landscape: 16. Development would result in pollution from light, noise and traffic. 17. Irreparable harm to Minsmere Nature Reserve. 18. Impacts on wildlife, protected species and marine wildlife. 19. Uncertainty re drainage and supply of 3 million litres of portable water a day for the construction period and beyond. 20. Impact on landscape character because of locality, design and scale; construction severs the AONB. 21. Carbon footprint of Sizewell C’s construction. 22. Spent fuel and high-level waste from Sizewell B and C would stay on this site until at least 2135. 23. We are doing our best to understand the risks and safeguard the environment for future generations, who will live with the ramifications of our decision-making. The safety of using this coastal site is of concern. We are trying to balance this with the country’s energy needs and the potential benefits that investment can bring.