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EDF’s controversial River Severn saltmarshes plan should cease, says County Council leader

By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter,,  Gloucester News Centre 30th Nov 2024

EDF’s controversial plans for saltmarshes linked to Hinkley C nuclear power plant should cease immediately.

That is the view of Gloucestershire County Council’s Conservative leader Stephen Davies (Hardwicke and Severn) who has written to energy, security and net zero secretary Ed Miliband expressing his opposition to the schemes.

Bosses at the French-government owned energy firm have been severely criticised for their environmental improvement plans by residents in Rodley near Westbury-on-Severn and Arlingham on the other side of the river.

Their original plan for Hinkley Point in Somerset 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, EDF feel this will no longer be viable and have instead drawn up alternative plans to create salt marshes along the River Severn.

They have identified the two Gloucestershire sites along with Kingston Seymour in Somerset, Littleton Upon Severn in South Gloucestershire as areas for salt marshes.

And they have been in touch with landowners. But villagers strongly oppose the proposals which they fear will destroy the Severn Vale.

Cllr Davies says in the letter, which has not been signed by the other group leaders at GCC, that the authority welcomes the Government’s commitment to delivering net zero.

But he expressed significant concerns regarding the scale of the impact the nuclear power station will have on the migratory fish population in the Severn Estuary special area of conservation which will result from the massive water abstraction at Hickley Point C of 120,000 litres of seawater a second from the Severn for 60 years.

He believes this will be made significantly worse by their intention to remove the required acoustic fish deterrent system at the plant.

And is concerned over the significant impact the emerging salt marsh proposals would have as it would see hundreds of acres of farmland lost.

“This would not only include farmland, but also farms, houses, businesses, roads, footpaths, heritage assets, etc.

“EDF representatives have already confirmed to local residents that they would use compulsory purchase orders in future if need be as well as currently attempting to access privately-owned land for ecological surveys.”

Cllr Davies calls for the acoustic fish deterrent to be installed as originally planned and for appropriate ecological compensation be delivered to address the impact on the Severn Estuary. He is also calling for EDF to be instructed to immediately cease plans to create the new salt marshes along the Severn.

Campaign group Save our Severn Vale do not believe that the proposed location of a saltmarsh in either Rodley or Arlingham is viable from a salinity perspective or compensatory habitat when looking at the species EDF say they want to save………………………….. https://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk/edfs-controversial-river-severn-saltmarshes-plan-should-cease-says-county-council-leader/

December 3, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, UK