Public Notice: The Sizewell C Project – Notice Of A Compulsory Acquisition Request In Respect Of Additional Land (Application Reference: EN010012)

An application for an order granting development consent under the Planning Act 2008 has been made by NNB Generation Company (SZC) Limited (‘Applicant’), whose registered office is at 90 Whitfield Street, London W1T 4EZ, to the Planning Inspectorate (on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) (‘Application’). The Application was made on 27 May 2020 and accepted for Examination by the Planning Inspectorate on 24 June 2020 (Application Reference: EN010012). An Examining Authority was appointed on 30 June 2020 to examine the Application. After the examination has closed, the Examining Authority will submit a report to the Secretary of State who will then make the decision on whether or not to grant the development consent order.

The Project

The Application is for development consent to construct, operate and maintain the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station, which would comprise two UK EPRTM reactor units with an expected net electrical output of approximately 1,670 megawatts (‘MW’) per unit, giving a total site capacity of approximately 3,340MW, along with associated development required for the construction or operation of the Sizewell C nuclear power station or to mitigate its impacts (‘Project’). The Sizewell C nuclear power station would be located in Sizewell in East Suffolk, approximately halfway between Felixstowe and Lowestoft; to the north-east of the town of Leiston.

The main on-site aspects of the Project comprise the nuclear power station; associated buildings, plant and infrastructure; offshore works including cooling water system and combined drainage outfall in the North Sea; a temporary accommodation campus; a new National Grid 400kV substation; relocation of certain Sizewell B infrastructure; a crossing over the Sizewell Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest; access works; construction compounds and spoil management areas; temporary rail infrastructure; and landscaping. Proposed off-site associated development includes temporary park and ride sites; a two village bypass; a Sizewell link road; highway improvements; a temporary freight management facility; temporary rail infrastructure; and permanent rail upgrade works. Further details of the Project are provided in the Application.

Environmental Impact Assessment

The Project is an Environmental Impact Assessment development, as defined by the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017. An Environmental Statement was submitted with the Application (Examination Library refs. APP-159 to APP-582) pursuant to the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 and Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2007.

Compulsory Acquisition Request

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN in accordance with Regulations 7 and 8 of the Infrastructure Planning (Compulsory Acquisition) Regulations 2010 (‘CA Regulations’) that the Applicant has made a request for an order granting development consent to authorise compulsory acquisition of land or of an interest in or right over land that was not identified in the book of reference submitted with the Application (‘CA Request’).

Additional Land

The location of the additional land for the purposes of the CA Regulations (‘CA Additional Land’) is shown on the ‘Land Plans Showing the Proposed Land Changes’ (Examination Library ref. AS-290) submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in February 2021. The CA Additional Land comprising land over which compulsory acquisition is now sought is shown hatched. The CA Additional Land comprising land changing from temporary possession to compulsory acquisition is shown dotted.

Tables 2.1 and 2.4 of the Statement of Reasons Addendum (Examination Library ref. AS-149) submitted by the Applicant to the Examining Authority in January 2021 describe the CA Additional Land and explain why that land is required for the Project.

The Second Funding Statement Addendum (Examination Library ref. AS-150) submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in January 2021 explains how the acquisition of the CA Additional Land would be funded.

These documents should be read in conjunction with the Statement of Reasons (Examination Library ref. APP-062) and Funding Statement (Examination Library ref. APP-066) submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in May 2020 and the Funding Statement Addendum (Examination Library ref. AS-011) submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in November 2020. Together these documents explain what land is required for the Project, why it is required and how the order granting consent is proposed to be funded.

The CA Additional Land is required for the development of Sizewell C or is required to facilitate or is incidental to it. There is a compelling case in the public interest for the compulsory acquisition of land required for the Project, including the CA Additional Land. The availability of funding is not considered to be an impediment to the implementation of the Project or to the acquisition of the relevant interests in the CA Additional Land.