Campaigners called for a fourth stage of public consultation on the proposals for a new twin reactor nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast as they handed in their responses to the latest proposals.
At present there are no plans for more consultation – one extra stage has already been held – but there has been concern from opponents and stakeholders, including both district and county council, that more information is needed and questions remain unanswered.
Campaigners from Theberton and Eastbridge Action Group on Sizewell (TEAGS), B1122 Action Group and Minsmere Levels Stakeholder Group – together with Theberton & Eastbridge Parish Council – visited EDF’s Leiston office to jointly hand in their responses to EDF’s Stage 3 proposals on Sizewell C.
Alison Downes, of TEAGS, said: “Our Groups are unanimous in calling for an additional stage of consultation given the lack of detail provided by EDF and the substantial opposition to major planks of its proposals – transport and accommodation – and significant concern about environmental impacts.
“Without a further stage of consultation, EDF could be applying for its Development Consent Order in only 12 short months – a prospect that is unthinkable.”
Paul Collins, of TEAGS and MLSG, said: “Our views on the potential ecological impacts of Sizewell C and D are shared by expert environmental organisations such as the AONB Partnership, the Suffolk Wildlife Trust and RSPB; in particular the risks to Minsmere and the threat to coastal processes are significant and cannot be mitigated.
“We consider that the site is too small and sensitive for such a massive project.”
Charles Macdowell, of B1122 Action Group, said: “EDF’s transport proposals have changed significantly since Stage 2 with poor solutions that we strongly oppose. We do not accept EDF’s Link Road / Theberton Bypass, nor the possibility of 24 hour HGV traffic.
“EDF needs to go back to the drawing board and re-examine the alternatives that it cursorily rejected.”
EDF will now be considering all the feedback from the latest consultation and taking this into account, along with other ongoing research, as it prepares its final application for permission.
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