SUBMITTED BY SNAPE PARISH COUNCIL, 26.10.21
Dear Nautilus,
As a PC Snape has actively engaged in the DCO processes and consultation for both SPR and SZC over a number of years. When offered the opportunity to meet with NGV staff in late 2019 relating to Nautilus we took that opportunity. As a PC we have also been involved with a number of other towns and parishes in raising the generic issues which we feel will impact significantly on a wide area of East Suffolk including our community, particularly traffic and transport and impact on tourism and the natural environment. We would therefore like to register our concern that there was no meeting or drop in offered at Snape. That is particularly the case given that since the initial meeting Snape/ Sternfield is now listed as a potential converter site which was not the case at the time of the previous meeting. At the meeting in 2019 we were also offered further meetings and updates and we welcomed that assurance.
We have raised our concerns over many years around the cumulative impact of all the concurrent major projects including yourselves. Those concerns have been consistent about the many projects’ potential impact on Snape and the area and also the lack of consultation with the village over an extended period. They remain largely unaddressed and in our view the Nautilus project can only add to those issues given the scale of the work that will impact on Snape, wherever the proposed CSA sites given the nature of East Suffolk and particularly the road and transport infrastructure. If CSA 1 were to be the final choice then all the concerns that we have raised at the DCOs for SZC and SPR will be compounded. At this stage there is little detail available but at the point that more information is available we will raise again our specific concerns.
There is support for renewable energy generally in the village but the location of the site, potential impact on the environment and road network, levels of noise and air pollution, lack of consideration of the direct impact of the project on the village of Snape generally, and specifically around traffic have been of huge concern to our community. That concern pre dated the current proposal of CSA1.
The opposition to the proposals to build the substation and converter station are based on the impact the construction will have visually and environmentally in and adjacent to an AONB and to what are small rural roads and conurbations.
One of our specific concerns relate to traffic volumes on both the A1094 and the B1069. The PC is of the view that there remains (despite the DCOs) a complete lack of detailed granular analysis of the potential impact of traffic over peak periods such as holidays or the frequent and long established cultural events at both Snape and Aldeburgh on those roads, and the concerning reliance on the A12 for traffic movements. The analysis and calculations for SCZ and SPR, even to this point, appear to be based on average traffic movements which given the nature of traffic in the area seemed to ignore the GEART guidance of making calculations based on “site specific” information and circumstances.
The PC remains concerned that despite specifically, and from an early stage, asking for consideration of the potential cumulative impact of the various projects that the sections on cumulative impact within the DCO documents hold no real detail on the potential impact of concurrent development. It is striking and the PC noted, that there has been frequent reference to ongoing work at the various hearings and the need to continue it, but the issue remains unaddressed in our view. The potentially damaging cumulative impact could destroy, or at the very least significantly denude, the vital tourist and farming industries that the area depends on currently for employment.
Finally for now at least, as you are aware we held a drop in event at Snape village hall on 25 October 2021 which you were unable to attend. Approximately 100 people attended during the afternoon and early evening. As far as we could discover only one member of the public at the drop in had managed to attend one of the previous NGV drop in venues. From the feedback most had missed the dates and venues, some had been unable to travel, some had no recollection of the leaflet being delivered and many had not understood the map and locations within the leaflet in terms of proximity to the villages and communities. We feel therefore this illustrates the need for any future consultation to include Snape, but also a more general point about communicating with a wide range of communities when planning effective consultation.
Tim Beach
Snape PC