On Tuesday George Osborne announced that there would be a review of the way in which the European habitats regulations are interpreted and implemented in the UK. It was the over zealous interpretation of these regulations that led to Dungeness missing out on being included on the Government's list of sites preferred for new nuclear power stations. I hope that any review of these regulations may help the case for a new power station at Dungeness, and I have written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to underline this point. I have included the full text of my letter below.
Dear Chancellor
I write following your Autumn Statement today, which I very much
welcome, in which you said that, “we will make sure that gold plating
of EU rules on things like Habitats aren’t placing ridiculous costs on
British businesses”.
The interpretation of the European habitats regulations has had a
significant impact on my constituency because these regulations have
been used to prevent Dungeness being included on the list of sites for
new nuclear power stations recommended by the Government.
As you know, since I was elected I have done all I can to ensure that
Dungeness in my constituency is approved as one of the sites for the
next generation of nuclear power stations. The nuclear industry is
responsible for over 1,000 jobs in my constituency, and is by far the
largest employer in Romney Marsh. The current Dungeness B power
station is due to be decommissioned in 2018 and without a replacement
this will be a significant blow to the local economy.
The decision not to include Dungeness on the list of sites for new
nuclear build was made on the basis of recommendations from Natural
England, which opposed the inclusion of the site because of its
proximity to protected bird and shingle habitats, even though much of
this land was disturbed during the construction of the existing power
station, and the total loss of land would be less that 1% of the
entire protected area.
You also told the House of Commons that, “Our planning reforms strike
the right balance between protecting our countryside while permitting
economic development that creates jobs”. The decision not to include
the site will mean the loss of many jobs both at the site and in the
wider economy, but the building of a new power station at Dungeness
would mean the creation of many more jobs than currently exist.
I would like to ask that in the review of the habitats regulations you
annouced today that specific consideration is given to the proposed
nuclear site at Dungeness.
Kind regards
Damian Collins