Hundreds come out to protest against Sizewell C plans on Suffolk coastline

Hundreds of people came out on the weekend to rail against plans for the giant Sizewell C nuclear power station on the Suffolk coastline.

Protestors marched from Leiston to Sizewell beach on Sunday carrying banners which read 'Chaos Coast, coming soon' and 'Enjoy Suffolk while you can'.

They were met at Sizewell by co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay.

It followed a decision by Government ministers to delay the planning decision for the giant nuclear reactor until July 8 to ensure 'there is sufficient time to fully consider further information provided by the applicant and interested parties'.

Alison Downes, from Stop Sizewell C, a campaign group which wants plans for the nuclear power station to be halted, said on Sunday: "We have all come here today to show that a decision to go ahead with Sizewell C would be a wrong decision.

"EDF has clearly not taken this community with them, and the Government has totally betrayed the faith of local people in due process by repeated commitments to Sizewell C when it doesn’t have planning consent, let alone a Final Investment Decision.

She added there was no 'sense' in copying Hinkley C, the nuclear power station in Somerset, which was 'badly overrun and overspent'.

A Government spokesperson said nuclear power was a 'key part of the UK's energy mix, helping to reduce dependence on expensive fossil fuels, boosting UK energy independence and protecting consumers from high energy bills'.

They added: "This is why nuclear energy is a key part of our energy security strategy and will provide the energy required when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing."

The planning decision for Sizewell C was due to be made by May 25, with Stop Sizewell C campaigners saying the delay is 'clear recognition' of the project's many difficult problems including water supply, transport, coastal erosion and biodiversity.

Pete Wilkinson, chair of Together Against Sizewell C, said: "As we have shown comprehensively in evidence to the Government and the planning authorities, the case against Sizewell C is overwhelming.

"If the Secretary of State dares to approve its construction in the face of that evidence and in the knowledge that nuclear is a declining industry, competes badly with renewables on all fronts and will fail to provide the sort of response required by the existential emergency created by climate change, the Government can add dereliction of duty to its charge sheet."

Adrian Ramsay, co-leader of the Green Party, said building Sizewell C would 'lock in raised electricity prices for years to come', adding renewably generated electricity was a cheaper option which would deliver more sustainable jobs for Suffolk residents.

"As the Greens’ parliamentary candidate for villages near this site, I know first hand the strength of opposition locally," he said.

"Construction will take a decade and generate thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions.

"The climate crisis needs tackling now, not in a dozen years’ time when Sizewell C may just start operating."