Representation by Margaret Douglas
- Date submitted
- 29 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Destruction of a Nature Reserve The site is in the middle of an AONB and SSI. The P.M. is signing the Pledge for Nature, planning an increase in Nature Reserves nationally. Minsmere is an RSPB flagship Bird Reserve enjoyed by local residents, birdwatchers and visitors from around the world. It has a special feel unlike anywhere else in the UK. The rare birds who come here will not stay when there is light pollution and constant noise from the adjacent building site for more than a decade. An educational and mental health resource The local area is a sanctuary for many people. It has great educational capacity and capability for young and old alike. It is a sanctuary in mental health terms, which is important when community anxiety levels are high for various reasons like the pandemic. A threat to the flourishing tourist and hospitality sectors It is predicted that the proposed Sizewell development will lose £40 million pounds in revenue to tourism locally and cost a great number of jobs. Many people’s livelihoods depend on it. I doubt local job creation vaunted by EDF will come about as most workers will be imported into the area. This summer the whole area was visited by vast numbers of people, enjoying nature, birdwatching, walking along the footpaths and visiting the beaches. It is popular all the year round. School students hike along the footpaths for their D of E, families visit the reserve and the beaches. Visitors go to cafes, restaurants, stay in hotels, self-catering accommodation, B&B’s. A large infrastructure project is not an adequate replacement for the likely loss of multiple small businesses. Traffic Gridlocked traffic and a constant stream of 700 – 1000 lorries a day on the roads will deter visitors. The rare beauty of Minsmere Bird Reserve and the surrounding area will become a desolate noisy industrial site full of light pollution, dust and gridlocked traffic. Local residents will have their mobility severely limited and it is clear from the experience at Hinckley Point that journey times will increase exponentially. Outdated technology Windpower is now much more efficient than it was and can now be transported and stored. Renewables are the future. They are cheaper and not as dangerous. Even the smaller modern nuclear reactors are less impactful than Sizewell C. Dangerous legacy of unspent nuclear waste Rising sea levels are forecast and this is a dangerously unsuitable site for building two new nuclear reactors and storing nuclear waste. A legacy of threat for our children. Cost and value for money The British people are facing rising unemployment and an uncertain economic future They do not want to pay extra taxes to fund an ever-increasing cost which will most likely over-run by billions of pounds. The impact of the Sizewell workforce 5,800 workers will overwhelm the local community which has a disproportionate number of older people, some with vulnerabilities. The safety of local residents is another concern I CONSIDER THE SIZEWELL C APPLICATION TO BE TOTALLY UNSUITABLE