Representation by Pakenham Parish Council (Pakenham Parish Council)
- Date submitted
- 24 May 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Pakenham Parish Council produced a list of items considered important if the land in Pakenham is compulsory purchased by EDF. This list is attached (addendum 1). Subsequent to forwarding this list to EDF a meeting was held with representatives of Sizewell C to discuss the points raised. Notes on this meeting were produced and agreed as correct with Alan Lewis of Sizewell C (addendum 2). It can be seen from these notes that Sizewell C were unable to answer any of the questions raised in items ii, iii, iv, vi, vii of addendum 1 see below: ii. Who will ultimately own the land and will this organisation be legally separate from EDF and a charity? iii. Will a member of Pakenham Parish Council be invited to sit on the board of the Charity as a representative of the village? iv. Will this land be open to access by the general public in perpetuity? vi. Will there be further footpaths created across the new Fenland, if so, where would the access be and will these footpaths be raised on duckboards vii. Will there be an opportunity for Pakenham Parish Council to agree the location of new footpaths? At the end of the meeting Sizewell C explained that a further plan consisting of a written document and plan would be produced upon which Pakenham Parish Council will have an opportunity to comment. Pakenham Parish Council are unable to comment on detail proposals such as walkways, access and car parking until the detailed plan is produced. Pakenham Parish Council request the right to comment on the plan when it is published and to similarly comment on items ii, iii, iv, vi and vii when the information is available. Addendum 1 Sizewell C consultation – Pakenham Parish Council’s comments in relation to the possible purchase of land re Fen Meadows If EDF Power Station at Sizewell C does go ahead and the land at Pakenham is obtained the Parish Council would like these questions answered to inform the residents of Pakenham: I. What is the proposed timescale for this (start to finish)? II. Who will ultimately own the land and will this organisation be legally separate from EDF and a charity? III. Will a member of Pakenham Parish Council be invited to sit on the board of Charity as a representative of the village? IV. Will this land be open to access by the general public in perpetuity? V. Currently footpath no.3 runs through this area, will this footpath be retained and raised on duck boards. VI. Will there be further footpaths created across the new Fenland, if so, where would the access be and will these footpaths be raised on duckboards. VII. Will there be an opportunity for Pakenham Parish Council to agree the location of new footpaths? VIII. Does this Plan have the approval of Natural England who are Guardians of the existing SSSI meadow? IX. Will any changes to the Land Hydrology on the other side of the Mill Stream have any adverse effect on the existing SSSI meadow? X. It appears that the boundary of the new Fenland follows the route of Pakenham stream, how will this impact on the flow of the stream and in turn the listed Pakenham Water Mill. XI. How will the organisation managing the new Fenland maintain the stream? XII. Pakenham Parish Council are concerned about the about the affect on the stream, has this been modelled and studied in depth to avoid any problems in the future with the operation of the Water Mill. XIII. Will this proposal have an impact beyond the immediate area and have an effect on the wider area including water levels. How will this be monitored and controlled, will there be any effect on homes and gardens. XIV. Pakenham Parish Council would like to be included as an interested party on future discussions for this site. Addendum 2 Notes on Meeting of Tuesday, 20 April 2021 to discuss possible conversion of land in Pakenham to Fen Land as part of compensation for Habitat Loss with the Construction of Sizewell C Alan Lewis, Technical lead for Ecology SCZ, outlined the proposals and confirmed that the planning application for Sizewell C will be made to the Planning Inspectorate. Suffolk County Council will be a Statutory Consultee. Work will commence with Pakenham Fen at the same time as the start of work on the Power Station, this will probably be the middle to the end of next year. The examination process for Sizewell C is due to conclude on the 14th October and this will be followed by a period of 3 months to draft a report, followed by a further 3 months for the Government to decide. A Development Consent Order will then be granted, if the new Power Station is approved. The draft programme will assume a construction period of 10 years to form the Fen Land, at the end of which the progress will be considered and a management plan for the next 70 years prepared. The representatives of Sizewell C were unable to answer questions about land ownership and how the new Fen Land will be vested until the Land deals with existing owners has been concluded. Duct boarding and signage will be provided to existing footpaths over the Fen Area. It was stressed that Natural England have been consulted on the Pakenham Site. The representatives of Sizewell C stated there will be no significant adverse effect on the stream or Water Mill and that there should be no adverse impact on neighbouring houses or ground water beyond the site. A Fen Meadow plan will be produced by Sizewell C Mid-Summer to early Autumn which will be placed on their Website. This will include a plan and written document upon which there will be an opportunity to comment. Sizewell C agreed to attend a meeting after the plan is published with Pakenham Parish to discuss the proposals. Sizewell C also agreed to attend a meeting with representatives of the Water Mill.