THERE are fears plans for new salt marshes linked to the construction of nuclear power plant Hinkley C would lead to “wholesale destruction of the Severn Vale”.
EDF bosses have been severely criticised for their environmental improvement plans in Gloucestershire which are linked to the new Hinkley C site in Somerset.
Their original plan for Hinkley Point was to install an acoustic fish deterrent system to scare fish away from the site as the Bristol Channel is home to numerous species such as eels, herring, salmon and sprats.
However, the French government-owned energy firm feel this will no longer be viable and have instead drawn up alternative plans to create salt marshes along the River Severn.
In the area, they have identified sites in Arlingham and Littleton Upon Severn near Thornbury in South Gloucestershire.
Other proposed sites include Rodley near Westbury-on-Severn in Gloucestershire and Kingston Seymour in Somerset.
But the proposals, which were aired at a recent parish council meeting, have been met with strong opposition in the Severn Vale.
David Seal, a local resident, believes the plans would “likely bring an end to most ideas of future development of the village, farming, farmland, miles and miles of hedgerow, trees and just about everything we all love about the green serenity of the village”.
“All this to ‘offset’ Hinckley C destroying 182 million fish in the estuary per year over 60 years,” he said.
“EDF has all the technical know-how to dig two enormous cooling water tunnels 3.3km out under the Bristol Channel, yet they say it’s ‘too risky’ to fit an acoustic deterrent to mitigate the problem at source in the same estuary.
“What is too risky is messing about with the River Severn and destroying the land we and nature live off.
“The acoustic fish deterrent manufacturer has worked hard to mitigate all the reasons EDF have for dropping its use yet they stumble blindly and arrogantly forward.
“This isn’t ‘offset’ , it is wholesale destruction of the Severn Vale.”
EDF chiefs say the Hinkley Point C is obliged to make environmental improvements like salt marsh to compensate for the very small impact the power station will have on fish numbers when operational.
Measures also include the improvement of weirs in tributary rivers to help migrating fish reach their breeding grounds.
They say creating saltmarsh is a proven way to increase and protect biodiversity.
And they believe it will help fish by providing breeding grounds and provide food and shelter for birds and animals.
Saltmarsh also filters and cleans water, prevents floods and locks away carbon in one of our most effective weapons in the fight against climate change, they said.
As well as investigating alternative locations for saltmarsh, Hinkley Point C is now looking to make improvements to an additional weir on the River Wye at Osbaston near Monmouth.
Upgrading weirs is one of the most effective ways to support migrating fish like Salmon and Shad – making it easier for them to make their journeys upstream, according to EDF.
Hinkley Point C is the first power station in the area to have any fish protection measures in place – including a fish recovery and return system and low velocity water intakes, they said.
And power stations have been taking cooling water from the Bristol Channel for decades with no significant impact on the wider environment or fish populations.
Andrew Cockcroft, Head of Stakeholder Relations at Hinkley Point C said: “We have listened carefully to concerns and suggestions made during our consultation and are now exploring changes to our proposals.
“Hinkley Point C is one of Britain’s biggest acts in the fight against climate change and its operation will provide significant benefits for the environment.
“The development of saltmarsh habitat will boost this further – helping support fish populations and minimise the small environmental impact of operating the new power station.”
The local meetings are being held by EDF ahead of any formal consultation and form part of the initial cons considerations and exploration of the land around Arlingham to see if a new environmental habitat is indeed suitable.
EDF says all of the local knowledge is extremely useful as they explore the area in more detail.
The area at Arlingham is officially designated for what is called managed realignment.
This means that over the coming years, the Environment Agency would not maintain flood defences and leave the area to flood naturally anyway, according to EDF.
As part of any future plan for saltmarsh creation, EDF says Hinkley Point C would have to construct new flood defences that would be higher and more robust than the current ones currently seen.
The project would also not be approved without full evidence to conclusively prove that flood risk to the local area would not be increased.
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