Back to list The Sizewell C Project

Representation by Miss Sarah Groves

Date submitted
30 September 2020
Submitted by
Members of the public/businesses
  1. Site Selection With sea levels predicted to rise, the site is at risk of flooding. It sits within the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, putting this national designation at risk. The sea defenses necessary to protect the site against increasingly regular tidal surges will impact on the special shingle ecosystems and will halt natural processes. Sizewell is situated in the midst of several European Designated sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest, which should be protected. There is currently no facilities for storing spent nuclear waste - extremely worrying on this coastal site. The Suffolk coast is extremely low lying and dynamic - it is probably one of the worse areas to site a nuclear power station. It is also an extremely sensitive area ecologically - this should be an area designated for nature, not nuclear. 2. Community, Economic and social impacts This development will change the character of this part of the Suffolk coast irrevocably by cutting the Suffolk Coasts AONB in half with new infrastructure. This part of Suffolk is a tourist destination - the coastal resorts of Southwold, Walberswick and Dunwich will all be affected. The tourist industry is worth millions per year and supports hundreds of jobs. At the moment, there are footpaths and sites for local people to enjoy and use - these will be lost under this development. The increased urbanisation will impact on the mental health of residents with extra noise, lighting and disturbance. 3. Transport New roads will impact on the footpaths, cut communities off from one another, divide farmland, impact on wildlife and cause more light and noise pollution. Extra, and extremely heavy traffic, will negatively impact the local communities with noise, light and emission pollution. New roads also take away more land from wildlife which is already hugely compromised in this time of ecological crisis. Again, this new infrastructure will irrevocably change the character of the Suffolk coast. 4. Wildlife Sizewell is right next to one of the RSPBs most important nature reserves - Minsmere. This reserve is home to rare species such as marsh harriers and bitterns. The impact on tourists visiting the reserve will be huge, not to mention the impacts on the wildlife that currently live and breed here. Light, noise and disturbance will affect migratory birds and their breeding success Huge impact on marine wildlife - volume of fish kills unexceptable Light and noise has a huge impact on bats - there is a nationally important population of barbastelle bats at Sizewell. They need dark, quiet areas to forage and roost. The rare natterjack toad lives at Sizewell. Its habitat is increasingly rare across Britain, and Sizewell is currently successful for breeding and hibernation. Its hibernation sites are currently threatened should plans go ahead. Habitats - whilst mitigation is necessary, newly created habitats cannot replace centuries of ecological evolution. Plant and animal communities take hundreds of years to reach symbiosis. The loss of SSSI can not be replaced - it is impossible to replicate in a short period of time and we are facing an ecological crisis right now. Biodiversity will be lost. There will be no net gain. I would like to endorse the Relevant Representation submitted by Stop Sizewell C, the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the RSPB and Suffolk Wildlife Trust.