A letter has been sent on behalf of eight Suffolk parish councils calling for action to improve roads to enable them to cope with traffic associated with the new Sizewell C nuclear power station.
Councillors in villages on roads that will bear the brunt of vehicles associated with the planned £25 billion development have written to Sizewell C's developers, Suffolk County Council and East Suffolk Council requesting substantial upgrades to the road network.
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Signatories to the letter include Blythburgh, Darsham, Kelsale-cum-Carlton, Middleton-cum-Fordley, Theberton and Eastbridge, Walberswick, Westleton and Yoxford parish councils.
The authorities had 'substantial concerns' about the impact of vehicles in the 'early years' of the Sizewell C development when they anticipated up to 600 lorries a day as well as staff cars to be using the roads.
The power station was granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) by the Government in July 2022, enabling the work to proceed.
But in the letter, seen by the EADT, they said mitigation measures included in the DCO were insufficient to allay these concerns.
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The councils said: "Despite the mitigation measures in the DCO and in the Deed of Obligation, the undersigned parish councils all share substantial concerns about the impact on their communities of the Sizewell C project and propose further measures to help alleviate them.
"This letter relates to issues arising during the Early Years of the project before the Sizewell Link Road is operational.
"This is a key risk period when the existing road infrastructure - not just the B1122 - is being asked to take considerably more traffic than it ever has before, bringing significant new safety hazards to residents."
Improvements proposed include safe cycling routes between the A12 and the coast to compensate for the loss of safe cycling on the B1122 and the B1125 and 20mph and 30mph speed limits on sections of A and B roads, as well as some village streets.
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The letter also calls for improved drainage to deal with surface flooding on the B1122 and B1125 and for contingency traffic management plans to be developed that can be put in place if there are diversions due to incidents on the A12.
Earlier this week, the EADT reported Suffolk peer Lord Marlesford's calls for 'urgent action' to create a bypass on the A12 around four villages- Farnham, Stratford St Andrew, Little Glemham and Marlesford- to ease the pressure caused by Sizewell C.
Sizewell developer EDF Energy has received planning consent for a Two Village Bypass around Farnham and Stratford St Andrew, but Lord Marlesford would like Little Glemham and Marlesford to also be included.
However, a Sizewell C spokesperson said there would be a £250 million package of measures to minimise the impacts of construction, including investment in local transport.
She said a Sizewell Link Road, beginning south of Yoxford on the A12 and linking up with the B1122, would help reduce the amount of traffic on the B1122 through Middleton Moor and Theberton, which will be bypassed by the link road.
She added: "The B1122 Early Years Scheme has been established to address road traffic concerns before the Sizewell Link Road is in place.
"The scheme will include footway improvement works in Theberton, a pedestrian crossing and/or reduction in the speed limit, installation of traffic calming measures and improvements to road safety and rights of way crossing of the B1122.
"This scheme is one of many for transport and public rights of way.”
A Suffolk County Council spokesperson said: "Suffolk County Council raised many of these concerns in our formal responses during the Examination period of the application, and several of them were addressed by the Secretary of State in his decision.
"The council continues to work closely with EDF and local communities to provide the best possible outcomes for residents and businesses.
"We will respond to the parish councils in more detail about their concerns in due course.”
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