Representation by Sarah Turnbull
- Date submitted
- 30 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I am writing to express my serious misgivings about the plans for Sizewell C, and to ask you not to wave the plans through to the next stage. Firstly, during this difficult time when everyone is so affected by the restrictions which we have to observe during the Pandemic, it is simply undemocratic to force this planning process through, when we cannot attend meetings freely to discuss EDF’s plans. The travelling bus which toured our area did not give us sufficient access to the plans. We could only ask for relevant pages to be photocopied, were not able to peruse the documents ourselves as there was not enough time, and the entire procedure was most unsatisfactory. This would also apply to local government officials, and we feel that the DCO is being forced through when it is impossible to give the plans the proper scrutiny. The proposal to build another reactor - a twin one, twice as large as the existing two reactors - within one of the few Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Britain is fundamentally wrong. This government has mentioned more than once the importance of preserving the natural environment. But this plan would jeopardise the existence of RSPB Minsmere, an internationally important bird reserve. Rare birds which make their home in this area, including Marsh Harriers, Avocets and Nightingales, are all threatened by this enormous project, which would be one of the largest construction sites in Europe. The fragile wetlands adjoining the Sizewell site, which reach up to the borders of Minsmere, will be drained and subjected to vast spoil heaps. Destruction of local wildlife is inevitable. The site is on an eroding coastline, where regularly chunks of land fall into the sea. EDF’s plans are vague and they have not shown how they will protect the site from rising sea water. They claim they can build Sizewell C on a concrete island, but how will this be practical to allow workers to the site? How will EDF protect Sizewell A, where they are already storing nuclear waste from decommissioned reactors around Britain? This is a ghastly accident waiting to happen, and local planners must take responsibility for avoiding an environmental catastrophe. The French government, which effectively owns EDF’s nuclear arm, has banned the building of this type of reactor in France. It is not working effectively yet anywhere in the world, apart from China, where effective and safe scrutiny does not take place. Why have our planners not scuppered this project on the grounds that it does not work, is ruinously expensive and subject to vast delays. Most of the jobs created by this construction would go to workers from elsewhere. It would fundamentally damage the local tourism industry, cause enormous delays on Suffolk's inadequate road network, and endanger this beautiful part of the United Kingdom. I appeal to planners to act responsibly and to stop this unviable project now.