‘Grave concerns’ have been raised by a local civic society about the construction of a nuclear power station in Suffolk.

The Aldeburgh Society has registered its concerns over the building of Sizewell C.

Submitting their concerns to the planning inspectorate, the group said that EDF’s proposals conflicted with the fulfilment of the group's aims to encourage public interest and care for the character of the town and its surroundings.

“The Society is not opposed to nuclear power,” read the group’s statement.

“However, it views with great concern the damage to the Suffolk Heritage Coast which the construction of this very large industrial project would entail.”

“Such a massive industrial project in this location would be totally wrong.”

The society said that, were there no existing nuclear power stations on the coast, the proposal would be “unthinkable”.

It also raised concerns about the impact on the AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and the rest of the local environment.

“These damaging impacts would threaten the year-round tourism and visitor sector upon which the local economy of Aldeburgh largely relies,” the society said.

“The proposed accommodation campus at Sizewell, providing lodging for a population more than double that of Aldeburgh, risks creating serious social tensions due in part to the limited retail and entertainment offerings in the surrounding area.”

Closing, the society said that the project was “an outdated concept” and said that future energy generation should be “wind, solar and tidal power, together with the option for smaller-scale nuclear units now being developed, combined with new forms of electricity storage capacity”.

A spokesman for EDF said:" We will support the Suffolk coast tourism sector to offset impacts from construction through the provision of a Tourism Fund.

"Our experience at Hinkley Point C (HPC) shows that fears about the effects on tourism have not materialised – there has been no detrimental impact on visitor perceptions or business confidence as a result of HPC.

"At HPC, some tourism accommodation providers have benefited from fuller occupancy over the calendar year. The same effect could apply in East Suffolk – tourism accommodation will be used off season and spare capacity will be filled in peak months."