Sizewell C: What will a new nuclear power plant mean to residents?

The government has given the go-ahead for the new £20bn Sizewell C nuclear power plant to be built on the Suffolk coast. What do those who live and work in the area make of the decision?

The new Sizewell C would be a two-reactor nuclear power plant generating up to 3.2 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough for about six million homes.

Its supporters say it is a great opportunity for clean energy that will create new jobs in the area. Critics believe Sizewell C is a big mistake and voice concerns ranging from the loss of wildlife habitat to the blight of construction traffic.

The new plant would be built next to the existing Sizewell B, which is still generating electricity, and Sizewell A, which has been decommissioned, next to the village of Sizewell, near Leiston.

'Investors will come to town'

Property investors have already been calling asking about homes o buy to let out to workers at the site, estate agent Linda Druce says

Estate agents in the area are already getting calls from Sizewell C investors interested in accommodation for new workers.

Linda Druce, of Druce Estate & Letting Agents in Leiston, is among those to have fielded calls.

EDF, the main business funding the project, says the new plant will create thousands of construction and technical jobs during the building phase, which is expected to take between nine to 12 years.

"With property, there's always been a good steady demand for Sizewell - but I've already had the phone ringing about people looking for three to four bedroom houses to let out to the workers," Ms Druce says.

"So investors will be coming into town."

'Good news for Suffolk'

Ashley Shorey-Mills says the decision will help improve the employability prospects for the county's workers

Ashley Shorey-Mills is head of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce's Sizewell C Supply Chain portal.

He says the government's approval, which overrode recommendations of the planning inspectorate not to grant the go-ahead for the scheme unless issues on water supplies and nature were resolved, was "good news for Suffolk".

The decision taken by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, he says, will help businesses and improve skills and employability prospects for the county's workers, especially during the construction phase."For many years, the Sizewell C Supply Chain portal has been the pivotal resource for companies interested in preparing themselves for this exciting project," he says.

"We have over 2,000 companies now registered with us.

"We are working closely with them to ensure the supply chain is fit and ready to take advantage of the commitments of £4.4bn for our local and regional supply chain, as well as the legacy of skills and opportunity for this part of the country."

Sizewell C in numbers

• Sizewell C would cover 80 acres (32 hectares)

• EDF says building the new plant will support 70,000 jobs across the UK and rely on over 3,000 UK-based suppliers

• The energy firm says Sizewell C will contribute around £4 billion to the regional economy

• Sizewell C could power the equivalent of about six million homes and will generate electricity for 60 years

• Negotiations with the government on raising funds for the project are continuing and a decision on the finances is expected in 2023

'Ludicrous decision'

The RSPB says permission was granted with insufficient consideration given to the proposal's impact on nature

Not everybody has welcomed the decision.

The RSPB's Minsmere nature reserve, for example, is home to avocets, bitterns, marsh harriers and otters. The charity says the site will be affected by the reactor and claims permission was granted with insufficient consideration given to the proposal's impact on nature.

Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB, branded it a "ludicrous decision for an interim government to take".

Ben McFarland, head of conservation at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, says they are disappointed with the decision and will continue to work with the RSPB to minimise the impact on wildlife.

"We've worked for over a decade to stand up for nature on this precious stretch of coast," he says.

"During the consultation period, we've made some significant improvements for wildlife over the years, but we maintain that this is not a suitable location - it's far too important for wildlife.

"We're hugely disappointed."

'The wrong decision clearly'

Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, said Sizewell would be turned into the "biggest building site in Europe"

Protests were held outside the existing Sizewell B plant after the decision was announced by campaigners against the project.

Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, says: "This is the wrong decision clearly and a decision ministers have been forced to ram through against the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate in order to shore up their energy strategy."

However she adds the latest decision did not mean "the end of the campaign".

"We will continue to challenge this damaging project for some time to come," she says.

People protested the government's decision to approve Sizewell C

'It's not very well thought out'

Lillith Holdsworth from Leiston says the area is not equipped to support the construction traffic

"They haven't considered the local support or lack of support, it's not a very well thought out idea," says Lillith Holdsworth from Leiston. "I don't support it."

She says the local area is not geared up to support the next 12-15 years [of] construction, with "massive lorries driving through tiny villages".

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"You've got the car park that's going to be built and the infrastructure is not geared up for it... it's already a popular destination, you only have to come here on a Bank Holiday to see what the traffic is like," she says.

"I know they keep saying there are going to be jobs created but I don't see how the benefits of that outweigh the negative aspects.

"I just think the decisions have been made by people who haven't visited the area," she says. "I think that's where they've gone wrong, because I think anyone who comes down and sees the area will appreciate just how beautiful it is, and just how they're going to ruin it essentially."

'It's going to be beneficial to the whole country'

Keith Cook, from Leiston is pro-Sizewell C

Keith Cook, from Leiston, says he is pro-Sizewell C because the "country needs the power".

"You can't rely on wind farms, " he says, "and you can't rely on solar so you need a core of generation which has got to be nuclear because you can't have anything else.

"It's going to be beneficial to the whole country in the end.

"There's waste in everything, in all generation [of power], so you've got waste, what they need to do is deal with it, which is the hard thing to do because people don't want it anywhere near them."