When the details of the plans for building Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast were first published I was horrified - and frankly little has been done to ease my concerns since.
As I've said before, I've never been opposed to the principle of a third nuclear power station there.
I'm not anti-nuclear. I think it's a safe technology if handled correctly. It's green - there are no greenhouse gases released. And it will provide lots of good jobs.
But I was opposed to the way EDF wanted to build the plant - ripping up plans that had been drawn up in the early 1990s to continue the Sizewell B site and instead moving on to dig up environmentally-sensitive areas near the Eastbridge marshes.
I didn't like the way the company stormed through the area telling people what was happening, doing no meaningful consultation at all.
As one resident (who had been a huge supporter of Sizewell B's construction) told me: "They seem to think we're all country bumpkins who know nothing. They aren't listening. They're just telling us what's happening. It's like it or lump it!"
And as ridiculous as it might sound given the sums of money involved, I don't like the way Sizewell C appears to be trying to do things on the cheap when it comes to providing real community benefits.
Also five years ago the amount of money being quoted for the project seemed ridiculous - there must be better ways of providing us with power.
However things have changed.
Both major parties, Labour and the Conservatives, are clearly committed to its construction.
And following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other global conflicts the idea of being over-reliant on gas, oil, and coal imports (even putting aside environmental worries) looks extremely foolhardy.
I know some politicians think we can just drill for more oil and gas in the North Sea - but that's rapidly running out even now.
So Sizewell C is certainly going ahead and the Final Investment Decision (FID), which is the last piece of the jigsaw so far as its construction is concerned, is expected within weeks.
To be honest I really don't see the point in carrying on saying "Stop Sizewell C" once you get to this stage.
And frankly we've already seen so much environmental damage to the area you might as well just get on and complete the job!
The road between Leiston and Yoxford is a god awful mess and is likely to remain so for years. The people still living in Theberton find themselves in a traffic nightmare.
Tourism in the area must be reeling!
The current Sizewell C team do seem slightly better at public relations than their predecessors.
But what is really needed is more acceptance that the area deserves better infrastructure as part of the deal.
Why on earth doesn't the government, or EDF, or whoever holds the purse strings provide a few more million to create a rail loop at Campsea Ashe so freight trains can reach Sizewell around the clock and not be parked up just outside Leiston before moving on overnight because there's no room for them on the East Suffolk line during the day?
Why isn't the A12 getting a decent by-pass between Marlesford and Farnham rather than a short loop that will still leave dozens of homes blighted by heavy traffic?
And one last point. The cost of Sizewell C is given by the government as about £20bn.
No one believes that. A £40bn figure might not even be high enough. What does seem odd is that there appears to be an open-ended cheque book for this project's core but nothing to relieve the lives of the residents of East Suffolk.
And of course an open cheque book for Sizewell when the disabled and poorest in society are suffering cuts to benefits does cause a lot of concern among supporters of this current government.
I guess all this means that while the state of the world may mean Sizewell C is a necessity for the country, Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers really shouldn't be expecting everyone to do cartwheels of joy at the prospect!
The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of Paul Geater and do not necessarily reflect views held by this newspaper, its sister publications or its owner and publisher Newsquest Media Group Ltd.
Share