Representation by Stewart Ashurst
- Date submitted
- 30 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Dear Sir or Madam, The following issues of equal weight comprise my Representation against the construction of Sizewell C: 1) The proposal of a digital examination process (however administratively convenient) is entirely inappropriate for the nature of the subject matter. 2) The cumulative adverse effects a)upon the local environment generally and wildlife in particular (relating in the main to land, sea and river disturbance and to light, air and noise pollution) and b) as to traffic congestion and the consequent pollution. 3)The proposals rely on outdated information as to climate change, the rise in seal levels and coastal erosion. The application refers to UK CCRA report estimates of 2018 and not the more recent ones of 2019 which indicate greater impacts than previously thought. 4) there are no plans to monitor the impact of Sizewell C and related coastal defence works right up to the time it ceases operation. 5) The very detailed reasoning in the EDF submission does not deal with one key issue of coastal erosion namely the erosion impact beyond the confines of the Sizewell Bay. 6) The information as to hard core construction is inadequate; this is surely an essential requirement before any meaningful assessment of the impact of coastal flows and the potential consequences of erosion. 7) The whole issue of monitoring over time the impact of Sizewell C on the coast line (principally erosion) and on the rivers nearby is inadequately treated in the submission. There should be a legally enforceable understanding as to this kind of monitoring and how such monitoring and effective mitigation will be fully funded. 8) However persuasive might be the planning arguments for and against a project of this sort and despite the blunt realpolitik which inevitably surrounds such major decisions, the most important consideration comes down to a simple moral judgement. It is perhaps most simply expressed as an answer to succeeding generations: What did you do to safeguard what is most precious about our planet?