Representation by Graham Riches
- Date submitted
- 30 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Risks and suitability of Sizewell as a location for a new generation reactor: I am concerned that risks and foreseeable impacts associated with the Sizewell location, along with insufficient or impractical means of providing adequate countermeasures, make it unsuitable for this development, for reasons including or related to the following: a) Future vulnerability to sea level rise and associated issues. The site is low lying and adjacent coastline is vulnerable. It is accepted that climate change will cause significant sea level rise over the lifetime of the project. Past glacial calving rates cannot predict future sea level rise and models must plan for the worse case scenarios, not hope for something more benign. Higher sea levels will make the site more vulnerable to exceptional natural marine events of meteorological, geological or other origin, or the direct or indirect effects of erosion (e.g. outflanking of the site). b) The location would exacerbate the impact any accidental discharge on population, farming and food production, and on the environment, at both a local, regional and national level. Sizewell is not a remote site. 2.6 million live within 50 miles. The East Anglian region annually produces enough wheat to make over 6 billion loaves of bread. c) The permanent damage that physical proximity of construction to Minsmere will cause to this unique site of environmental importance, and international renown, and to AONB – along with long term impact to nearby forest, villages and beauty of the entire area. d) The risk of permanent detrimental impact to vulnerable surrounding inland, coastal and marine environments, including possible significant impact on local coastline erosion rates. For example, the proposed sea landing site is likely to affect natural shingle movements and beach replenishment to the south of the site, potentially affecting beach levels at Sizewell Cliff and Thorpe Ness, and in turn affecting rates of erosion. This may hasten erosion and lead to loss of environment and property to the South at Thorpeness. e) Short and long term detrimental effects on local population, from loss of tourism and disruption to business, and detrimental effects to health and quality of life, for many thousands of people local to the site but also across all of East Suffolk (including increased heavy and general works traffic on inadequate roads, loss of rights of way, loss of community through detriment to the social, financial, environmental and spiritual integrity and outstanding beauty of the area). f) Vulnerability of the site to direct adverse human intervention from the determined and well-equipped saboteur, Fukushima showed how vulnerability of satellite installations can cause critical events and could be exploited.