Sizewell C update - Deed of Covenent regarding B1125
Walberswick Parish Council has been unequivocal in our objection to the project on many grounds including the enormous negative impacts on the land and marine environment, on the destruction of unique AONB and SSSI habitat and the inappropriateness of building the world’s largest nuclear reactors in an area of the country with woefully inadequate transport and road infrastructure and without a water source needed for construction or operation. Despite these arguments made by thousands of individuals and organisations, it is possible that the Sizewell C project will be approved by Government and allowed to go forward. If that is the case, then we must change our focus to try to mitigate, to the limited extent possible, the negative impacts that the project will bring to Walberswick and all communities of coastal Suffolk.
It is for this reason that WPC agreed at our meeting in March to sign on to a “Deed of Covenent” to participate in a B1125 Working Group together with Suffolk County and East Suffolk Councils, Westleton and Blythburgh Parish Councils. The intention of this working group, which will be chaired by EDF, is to try to work through the very serious traffic and safety issues that will be associated with the use of the B1125 for Sizewell traffic. During the period of construction (10-15 years), this road will see thousands of worker and delivery vans going daily to Sizewell as well as A12 rat-running. It is hard to imagine how dangerous the water tower junction and the turning on to the A12 will be under these conditions!
The B1125 Working Group is one of a large number of working groups created under the “Deed of Obligation” that has been signed with Suffolk County and ESC. This is because the project presents a seemingly limitless number of traffic, environmental, housing and safety issues that will remain unmitigated as Sizewell C advances. EDF’s answer is to create “working groups” that are meant to deal with the myriad problems. Unfortunately, our B1125 Working Group (like most of the others) is flawed in its governance structure and it is not clear what, if any, funding will be available to support the necessary schemes. Nevertheless, as it has been made clear that it is the only tool at our disposal to try to have some voice, the WPC has signed on and will do its very best to represent Walberswick and try to mitigate what will, admittedly, be a really difficult situation.
All updates from Walberswick Parish Council regarding Sizewell C can be seen by following the link to: Sizewell C consultation - WPC updates