Representation by Nick Crowe
- Date submitted
- 19 January 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I’ve been coming to Suffolk since I was 1, in 1974. And I come back at least once a year. It is more than a holiday destination, for me. It’s a place of memories made and memories still to be made. For me, this is not just about PEOPLE… This was an area of diverse wildlife long before anyone inhabited it…This is about plants, trees, animals, insects, rivers, coastlines, cliffs, the sea…and all this encompasses. And no one consults the planet and it’s non-human beings and asks if EA 1+2 is what it/they want. Where else can you find the shingle beaches, the cliffs, heathland, moor land and marshes, all side-by-side in such a small area? It is unique in so many ways. As usual, it’s about money. We see the bribes of more local jobs, more cash input in the area, as if the coast and all it’s beauty is something to be brought of or held to ransom. We see it all the time, when a big business wants to invade, be it when building a massive supermarket or retail park, or something like this. It seems to be the only way businesses see fit to pacify people affected. The whole area is one of the most individual, beautiful, diverse but fragile areas of nature, and all that nature is capable, of in the entire country. Many people have worked tirelessly to keep this area free from harm. There are areas that, if damaged, will never return. It is a tiny area. There is no way such a small space should be bombarded with up to 7 energy projects over the coming decades. There is no safe way of preventing harm to the area, of destroying woodlands, of severing the wildlife corridor between the Coast and the Heaths AONB, of not damaging Thorpness’ already fragile cliffs, of installing cable trenches, of installing a massive substation at Friston… The local roads are in no way build to carry excess traffic and more HGV’s and extra traffic will put off tourists and make the roads more dangerous and polluted. There will be further pollution – noise pollution – from the works and vehicles and light pollution at the works, which will spoil Suffolk’s famous dark skies. The entire area thrives and, in part, relies on tourism. Right from Southwold and Dunwich, down to Orford and Rendlesham. It is an area where so many people give their working lives to maintain and care for Suffolks history and habitats. The towns and villages are colourful and vibrant, with diverse places to eat and shop. The area is filled with places to walk/bike/sight see/explore. And because of that, thousands upon thousands of people return year after year, to one of the few places where you can feel the history and experience the peace and beauty of life at a slower pace. But all of this is at risk with the possibility of East Anglia 1 & 2.