Watch our briefing about Deadline 1, held 4 May above.

12 May is Deadline 1, to:

a) Request to speak at an Open Floor Hearing

Nine Open Floor Hearings sessions will take place online from Tuesday 18 – Friday 21 May; There are three sessions (morning, afternoon and evening) on 18 & 19 May, two (morning and afternoon) on 20 May with the final session on the morning of 21 May.

We encourage ALL Interested Parties to request to speak. This is perhaps the main opportunity to share your personal reasons for opposing or having concerns about Sizewell C. Individuals are given 5 minutes to speak. You should make your contributions as personal as possible and base them on your Relevant Representation from last September, or on what you intend to include in your Written Representation (Deadline 2, 2 June).

We recommend you prepare what you want to say, as the Planning Inspectorate will ask you to send a written summary by Deadline 2 (2 June). If possible, prepare a bit more than you will have time to deliver verbally, in case speakers before you cover similar issues. If this happens, it’s important to endorse what they have said (assuming you agree with it) and avoid repetition as much as possible.  The more personal you can make your contribution the less likely this is to happen.

The Examining Authority will not want to hear general statements of in-principle opposition to  nuclear energy, or non-specific claims of how terrible the build period will be, so make your comments as specific – and passionate – as possible about how the project will impact YOU.

We recommend that it is better to cover a small number of topics in more detail than read a list of concerns. You can also mention missing information or topics that have not been addressed.

If you don’t wish to speak yourself,  you can nominate a friend or family member to speak on your behalf. If this is not possible, you can say you wish Stop Sizewell C to speak for you, but our goal is to get as many personal contributions as possible, so this should be a last resort. When nominating someone to speak for you, you will need to provide your own Interested Party number.

PINS estimates that around 20 people will attend each session. On the form, you can pick up to 3 preferred days/times to speak, and PINS will then tell you which session you can attend and roughly what time you will speak. You must follow their instructions to join the “Arrangements Conference” at the start of the session and remain in the Hearing until you have spoken, but there is no need to listen to every session!

If you apply to speak, it would be helpful to know which session you are taking part in, once this has been confirmed by PINS (email us on info@stopsizewellc.org)

Summary of what to do:

• Request to speak via this form by 12 May.
• Encourage other Interested Parties and your Town or Parish Council to request to speak too by the deadline
• Prepare your comments (best to do so in writing) and practice reading it within 5 minutes!

b) Suggest places for the Examining Authority to make site inspections. These will take place 8 – 10 June. You should send your ideas by email to sizewellc@planninginspectorate.gov.uk

EDF’s suggestions for accompanied and unaccompanied site inspections are online here. Please read Annex B (page 16/B1 of the Rule 8 letter) for more details of what information to include in your suggestions for where the Examining Authority might visit.

We recommend you explain why it is important to go to a particular place, advise where to stand and which direction to look, and – if on private land – suggest who might accompany them (Stop Sizewell C would be pleased to do this). If you live near existing or proposed roads and railway line, or lanes that you fear could become rat runs, or any associated developments, eg campus, Park & Rides etc, you may want to invite the Examining Authority to come to your property.

Note that they plan to visit Hinkley C on 22 June and we are seeking suggestions from local communities of where they should go.

c) Indicate your intention to speak at Issue Specific Hearings. The Planning Inspectorate would find it very helpful for people to indicate which Issue Specific Hearings they may want to speak at. We don’t yet know the exact dates these hearings will take place, and there will be future opportunities to register to speak, but it will assist PINS’ planning to indicate now. There are 25 issues identified. We suggest you name as many as you can, and state you reserve the right to speak at all of them:

• Policy and Need • The Draft Development Consent Order • The Transport Strategy, including the freight management strategy, rail freight path availability and deliverability • Associated Development Sites of the Two Village Bypass, Sizewell Link Road, Northern Park and Ride, Southern Park and Ride, Green Rail Link, Freight Management Facility and Yoxford Roundabout. For each to include the principle of need, alternatives, highway impacts, LVIA, ecology, air quality, noise, drainage, lighting, access, archaeology, minerals, soils and agriculture, PROW • Community Impacts and Safety including law and order impacts and the role of the emergency services, displacement of residents and potential need for diversionary routes. Broader impacts on housing, public services, sports, recreation and health and wellbeing for the local community • Impacts of the operation of night-time trains along the rail corridor • Effect of the proposed development on the AONB designation • Coastal Geomorphology to cover the permanent and temporary Beach Landing Facilities proposed Hard and Soft Coastal Defences, drainage outfall and the relationship to climate change and resilience • Funding Case • Socio economic issues including skills development, accommodation impacts, tourism impacts, supply chain, and opportunities for local people and businesses • Water supply • Flood Risk • Radiological considerations, including the management of major accidents and disasters. Provision of storage of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) and spent fuel • Habitats Regulations, Water Framework Directive and Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest (IROPI).

Our next Zoom meeting will be held on Tuesday 18 May at 6pm and cover Deadline 2 (2 June) for Written Representations and – relevant for only some people – responses to Written Questions. Join the meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84529652990?pwd=Y3d6RDExS01PTDZZTGd6aHFzWXBJZz09. All welcome, no need to RSVP but please note we won’t admit anyone who does not identify themselves. Thanks for your understanding.

Finally, a note about seeking help: If you have questions about the planning process, or any technical difficulties, we strongly urge you to contact PINS in the first instance. Email sizewellc@planninginspectorate.gov.uk. You are welcome to contact us, but we will almost certainly tell you to do this as a first step. It’s really important that PINS fully understands how challenging this process is for all of us, and we run the risk of behaving as though everything is OK if we answer each other’s questions. It’s also their job – and they have a whole team of people – to do this. We will continue to run zoom sessions as often as resources permit.