MP calls for ‘four village bypass’ if Sizewell C is given green light

A Suffolk MP is calling for a proposed bypass to be extended if Sizewell C nuclear plant is given the green light.Current EDF proposals for the nuclear power plant include plans for a bypass which would take construction traffic away from the villages of Farnham and Stratford St Andrew.However, Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Dan Poulter has called for the proposal to be extended to also bypass the villages of Marlesford and Little Glemham.He said the current “two villages bypass” was a “missed opportunity” which would mean local villagers would suffer.Poulter has written directly to the Planning Inspectorate’s lead examiner to raise his concerns.As part of its planning application, EDF has also submitted plans to reduce the number of heavy lorries by 20% by moving cargo onto rail and sea.An official decision on the plans is expected in April. However, it is looking increasingly likely that decision will now be delayed.As previously reported, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng recently granted a request from the the Planning Inspectorate for a six-week extension to prepare its own advisory report.The extension is needed due to a number of factors including 22 changes to the proposal and illness in the team.As such, the deadline has been pushed back to 25 February, with Kwarteng asking that the Planning Inspectorate “should ensure future timetables… are adhered to”.Once the report is published, Kwarteng will have three months to consider it before making a final announcement, meaning a final decision is now more likely to be reached in May.The UK’s Net Zero Strategy – published in October – implies that the Sizewell C development is currently favoured by government for a large scale nuclear plant.It revealed that the government remains “in negotiations” with the developer on the Sizewell C project in Suffolk regarding plans for a large nuclear power station.The strategy adds that the Wylfa site is being considered alongside other sites for the development of small modular reactor (SMR) technologies.The government first made the commitment to another nuclear project in the Energy White Paper, published in December 2020.