Energy and Climate Change CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Sedgemoor District Council (SEV 72)
I am writing on behalf of Sedgemoor District Council in response to the Select Committee’s call for evidence on the potential development of a Severn Barrage.
As possible host on the English side for a barrage across the Severn and having a shoreline neighbouring the estuary, Sedgemoor has a particular interest in any proposals. With a population of more than 100,000 living and working within the flood plain or along the estuary and its tributaries, the District also has a strong environmental and economic stake in the wider development of the Severn corridor.
To date, Sedgemoor District Council has taken no formal position on the idea of a Barrage in the Bristol Channel, remaining neutral in its discussions with promoters and objectors. While the District appreciates the potential economic, social and even environmental benefits for the UK and the local area from such a development, it is acutely aware of the challenges it could pose for the community and landscape. The Council believes the project would need to be weighed carefully to seek a balance between its economic potential and its environmental impacts.
As host district for the proposed development of the first new nuclear power station in the UK for 25 years, (Hinkley Point C), Sedgemoor is well aware of the benefits and challenges such large National Infrastructure projects may bring. On the one hand is their contribution to the UK energy mix and wider economy while on the other is their impact on local businesses, traffic, labour market and the environment. Equally, with a Barrage, careful consideration will need to be given to the local implications if any scheme is to be successful and the final decision must be made through an open and accountable process.
We would also suggest that, as a precondition to reaching any decision, certain key issues should be addressed.
1.Given the huge investment for the project and intense consultation involved, a significant degree of certainty on the process and preconditions will be required from Government.
2.Having experienced the Planning Inspectorate’s process with Hinkley Point C, we know major projects of this nature can provide a strong focus for developers and communities and the potential for them to work together to get the best outcomes. A crucial barrier at present for a Barrage project would appear to be the lack of any timetable or formal process for bringing forward the scheme. This lack of certainty causes misgivings for potential investors and local communities.
3.As well as providing confidence on the process, we would ask that the Government to support the need for a Planning Performance Agreement, in line with national best practice, to ensure that local authorities can participate fully in the project development, without the costs falling on local tax payers. Given the significance of the likely effects on Sedgemoor, a detailed consideration of options and solutions is vital.
4.Sedgemoor strongly argued, throughout the development of a case for Hinkley Point C, that any nationally significant project should include an element of benefit for local communities. To a degree, this is provided by the economic advantages of the project itself but the very nature of imposing a national scheme on a local area is not always equitable. There is plenty of precedent for local communities which shoulder disproportionate risks and challenges for the wider good of the UK to receive reasonable and fair benefits (through a Community Benefit Contribution or other mechanism) in recognition of the burden of hosting nationally beneficial energy infrastructure. In the case of the Barrage, given its potential to radically change local conditions and markets, as well as fundamentally alter the environment of the Severn Estuary, there would seem to be a particularly strong incentive to agree an approach to long term community benefit for those communities affected as an integral part of the project. Sedgemoor would encourage the committee to consider the need for a community benefit package arising from a Barrage programme as a precondition, linked to a comprehensive review of the likely local impact. This would provide those communities most affected with a degree of security of outcome, as well as give some certainty for developers over the level of mitigation likely to arise.
Finally, the Council would like to explore the concept of an Enterprise Zone for the area affected, in relation to local priorities for economic growth and regeneration.
I hope the above views provide a useful and constructive input into your deliberations. We would be happy to expand on any or all of the points, should you so wish, and formally request that we are invited to attend.
December 2012
