9 January 2017, for Immediate Release
JOINT PRESS STATEMENT
Theberton & Eastbridge Action Group on Sizewell (TEAGS), B1122 Action Group & Minsmere Levels Stakeholder Group [1]
Over 200 attend joint Public Meeting on Sizewell C.
Meeting expresses strong opposition to EDF’s Stage 2 proposals.
[THEBERTON, EAST SUFFOLK] Over 200 people packed into St Peter’s Church Theberton on Saturday 7 January for a spirited Public Meeting on Sizewell C, organised by Theberton and Eastbridge Parish Council with Theberton & Eastbridge Action Group on Sizewell (TEAGS), B1122 Action Group and Minsmere Levels Stakeholder Group. A number of elected representatives participated: Suffolk Coastal MP Dr Therese Coffey, County Councillors including Michael Gower and Richard Smith, District Councillors and representatives from other Parish Councils nearby. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and encourage individual responses to EDF’s Stage 2 consultation on Sizewell C.
“The large numbers of people attending and the passionate expressions of concern showed how much local people feel profoundly let down by EDF’s Sizewell C Stage 2 proposals,” said Su Swallow, Co Chair of TEAGS. “Of overriding concern are EDF’s complete failure to present any new ideas in response to widespread opposition to a campus for 2,400 so close to Minsmere and Eastbridge, and its refusal to consider a relief road instead of relying on the B1122, which is clearly not fit for purpose. The dangers of water and dust pollution from EDF’s planned borrow pits and spoil heaps – especially to the Minsmere reserve – coastal erosion and the effect on tourism were also major topics of discussion.”
Speakers at the Public Meeting highlighted the importance of submitting a response to EDF by the 3 February deadline, and sending copies of their responses both to elected representatives and the Planning Inspectorate. With local people feeling frustrated at the lack of changes in EDF’s plans to date, speakers emphasised that the proposals at Stage 2 were always expected to merely be a “glossier” version of those at Stage 1, and that the critical period for action was between now and EDF’s Stage 3 consultation (dates uncertain).
“EDF has much to do to address local concerns about its plans for constructing Sizewell C. In addition to plugging the many significant holes in the information provided at Stage 2, we also call on EDF to be more transparent about the opinions expressed in the responses it receives, and more accountable to those that take the trouble to submit their views,” said Alison Downes, TEAGS Co Chair.
At the Public Meeting, Theberton & Eastbridge Parish Council sought residents’ views to help inform the Council’s response to Stage 2. This was followed by short presentations from TEAGS, B1122 and Minsmere Levels Stakeholder Group on transport, accommodation and the environment, before an open question and answer session. Saturday’s event had been promoted during a touring mini-exhibition ‘A Better Route to Sizewell C’, which shadowed EDF’s exhibit at nine locations before Christmas, to highlight the myriad concerns about EDF’s build plans and inform responses to Stage 2 consultations.
For more detailed comment on the various issues, contact:
General & Accommodation: Su Swallow or Alison Downes, TEAGS, 07711 843884, info@stopsizewellc.org
Transport: Charles Macdowell, B1122 Action Group, 07788 755300, c.n.macdowell@gmail.com
Environment: Paul Collins, Minsmere Levels Stakeholders Group, 07503 283304, paul.f.collins1@gmail.com
Note
- Theberton & Eastbridge Action Group on Sizewell. www.stopsizewellc.org.
The B1122 Action Group. http://sizewellrelief.weebly.com.
The Minsmere Levels Stakeholder Group. http://minsmerelevelsstakeholdersgroup.onesuffolk.net