Sizewell C sets up new grant-giving nature charity

Sizewell C says it is committing to improving the local environment with a new grant-giving charity

Sizewell C has launched a new grant-giving charity with two councils to "enhance biodiversity and restore landscapes", it said.

East Suffolk Trust (EaST) - funded by the nuclear power station - has been set up with Suffolk County Council and East Suffolk Council.

It will distribute money to local organisations through grant schemes and Sizewell C has pledged £78m over the next 70 years.

Ben McFarland, director of wildlife conservation and recovery at Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT), said he hoped it could mitigate any damage caused by the power plant.

Jenny Kirtley, chair of Together Against Sizewell C, said she was concerned that parts of the environment could never be replaced.

Julia Pyke, Sizewell C's joint managing director, said the charity was one of several ways it had committed to the environment

Sizewell C will give the charity annual donations of £1.5m throughout the power station's construction and for the first 20 years of its operation.

Following this, contributions will continue at £750,000 and the charity will be governed by a board of independent trustees.

EaST will also seek funding from local businesses and organisations.

Julia Pyke, joint managing director of Sizewell C, said it was "right" it invested in Suffolk's nature and the charity would leave a "positive environmental legacy".

Suffolk Wildlife Trust's director of wildlife Ben McFarland hopes the new habitats will lead to an increase in "significantly declining" lapwing and redshank populations

Mr McFarland said while SWT had initially objected to Sizewell over what it felt was the wrong location for the plant, it had decided since its go-ahead by the government to work with the developer to mitigate environmental damage.

He said the new funding was "very significant".

"I certainly think if the right applications go to the fund, and the fund chooses the right applications, then there's a huge potential for a lot of positive, but that's not to say will that offset the residual impact of the development," he said.

Campaigner Jenny Kirtley says the construction so far has had a terrible impact on the environment

Ms Kirtley said while she was pleased to hear the charity would have an independent board of trustees, she said most people would not be around to see the effects after 70 years of funding.

"My concerns are that some things can't be replaced however much money you throw at it, like the vegetated shingle on the beach... or a 400-year-old tree," she said.

"So 70 years [of funding] is positive, but I don't think that it will ever change the devastation that has already happened in the area, which, of course is very upsetting for everybody."

The government confirmed on Tuesday the cost of building Sizewell C would be £38bn and it had secured investment from a number of businesses.

The Sizewell C reactor is expected to begin operating in the mid-to-late 2030s.