The changing face of Hinkley Point (From Bridgwater Mercury)

The changing face of Hinkley Point

6:00am Saturday 9th June 2012 in News By Andrew McGill

THIS dramatic aerial photo shows the scale of the proposed building project at the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point.

EDF Energy, which has applied to build the new plant, this week released the picture, detailing how preparation works are progressing.

Spokesman Gordon Bell said the site has “dramatically changed” since work began on the site of the proposed Hinkley C.

He said: “Contractors have found significantly more asbestos materials left over from the construction of the A and B stations than expected.

“We anticipate that this work will be completed towards the end of this year, after which large-scale earth-moving activities should commence.”

Meanwhile, a senior councillor at Somerset County Council has described the Hinkley building project as “bigger than the Olym-pics”.

Speaking to the Mercury, deputy leader David Hall said: “The project is the biggest in Western Europe and will bring many opportunities, but also issues, to resolve.”

Last week, the county council, Sedgemoor District Council and West Somerset Council gave their views on some of the written representations made about the EDF application so far.

The authorities backed calls from the police and fire services for greater work to be done on managing transport to and from the site.

Sedgemoor leader Duncan McGinty said: “The process of examining a project of this scale is new and relatively untested, and could be seen as daunting to the public.

“It’s vital as local authorities that we represent communities with concerns about the impact of the project and the economic impact of traffic congestion in Bridgwater.”