Sizewell C faces new legal challenge

EDF Energy’s plans for a new nuclear power plant at Sizewell have suffered a fresh legal blow.

The High Court has allowed a legal challenge to the local planning authority’s consent for 30 hectares of development on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

East Suffolk council granted EDF consent last September to chop down part of Coronation Wood to relocate operational buildings for the existing Sizewell B nuclear power station. The woodland is located within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.

The relocation is designed to pave the way for the development of the new 3.2GW nuclear power plant, which is proposed on land that the buildings currently occupy.

EDF submitted an application last month to the Planning Inspectorate for a development consent order for Sizewell C, which would be built next to the existing ‘B’ plant.

The High Court initially refused permission to proceed with the challenge to the council’s permission for the relocated buildings.

However, following a half-day hearing last week, Mrs Justice Andrews allowed local resident Joan Girling of the Together Against Sizewell C (TASC) campaign group leave to challenge the decision.

The appeal was allowed to proceed on the basis that there were arguable deficiencies within the Environmental Impact Assessment drawn up by the council when making its planning decision.

However permission was refused on two of the other three grounds for the challenge.

Mrs Justice Andrews set a ten-week target date for determining the claim.

TASC claim that without if Coronation Wood is not cleared, additional space for the ‘C’ plant cannot be created, potentially delaying further or even forcing the “abandonment of the entire project”.

A spokesperson for EDF said: “We note that there will be a judicial review hearing held in due course in relation to a planning decision for permission to relocate some of the Sizewell B existing buildings on EDF land.  We will provide any further information required to support the hearing.”

Sizewell C is earmarked as one of eight “potentially suitable” sites for a new nuclear power station in National Policy Statement for Nuclear Power Generation (EN-6).

EDF is planning to copy the design of the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant which it is currently building in Somerset.