Representation by Catherine Langton
- Date submitted
- 30 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
The Suffolk Coastal Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an inappropriate location for Sizewell C nuclear power station. Construction work including new roads would permanently damage the wider landscape, cause loss of significant habitats, and threaten the local diversity of internationally important habitats and species. There would be huge biodiversity impacts from using AONB land as a temporary construction area. Proximity to Minsmere RSPB would cause unavoidable disturbance as well as pollution and huge landscape intrusion. Siting a part of the construction area inside the AONB is unreasonable. Proposed provisions for nature protection are inadequate. Claims of ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ from EDFE are not adequately evidenced. They appear to be misleading, with selective facts and misrepresentation. It appears inevitable that there will be permanent damage to the eco-hydrology of marshland adjacent to the Sizewell C site. Disruption to the water table from station is likely to lead to loss of special interest to the SSSI (especially aquatic macro-invertebrates), on land which has the designations SAC and SPA with RAMSAR site interests. Construction of Sizewell C will lead to depletion of threatened and declining vertebrate species over a wide area. Notably, protected reptile populations, birds, bats, natterjack toad and otter are all likely to be impacted negatively. Increased road vehicle traffic is likely to lead to a large increase in wildlife road mortality. In particular, hedgehogs, owls, badgers, deer and otters are predicted to suffer increased collisions, with human injury & fatality also likely. Provision for wildlife barriers and fences and underpasses does not appear to have been made in EDF plans. There would be a permanent change and loss of very high quality shingle beach, dune and dune scrub habitat, all rare habitats which have barely recovered from the construction of Sizewell B. Sizewell C spine and link roads would cause fragmentation of natural and semi-natural habitats, with potentially severe and permanent severance effects for wildlife . The building of over 9.0 Km in length and a large car park on habitats and farmland would be enormously damaging in this respect including to the general character of the area.