Work on the site preparation for Sizewell C construction is underway and whilst we still believe the location is unsuitable given the area is so important for wildlife and the risk remains high, we continue to work closely with the developer, the planning authority, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the RSPB to lessen the impact and risk on wildlife.

We remain focussed on the key areas of risk to nationally protected habitats and species to ensure our efforts and resources result in the very best wildlife outcomes.

The construction of the new ‘platform’ on which Sizewell C will rest borders Sizewell Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Part of the SSSI is nationally rare fen habitat consisting of incredibly scarce and sensitive plants. We are very concerned how the platform might affect the hydrology of the SSSI as many of these rare plants rely on high water quality, fed by groundwater. The risk is that the platform will over time reduce the influence of the high quality groundwater and replace it with lower water quality from surface water. This continues to be underplayed in our view but through our advocacy and lobbying, the developer has now agreed to shift water quality monitoring from 6 monthly to monthly sampling. This will be critical to quickly pick up any changes that might impact the plants, to enable timely mitigation. We also press hard to ensure that there are adequate, quantifiable botanical surveys of the fen habitats, so if there are changes in the plant community, these are picked up as soon as possible.

We are also focussing our efforts protecting nationally rare species potentially effected by the development. These include natterjack toad, a highly specialised species found in only a handful of sites throughout East Anglia. Working with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust and the RSPB, we agreed with the developer a long-term mitigation plan that improves habitat surrounding the existing pond where they breed, such as scrapes, ephemeral ponds and areas of rough grassland and linking up to habitats on RSPB Minsmere. If these plans are adhered to effectively, we are hopeful that the future for this isolated and small natterjack population is better than it would otherwise have been. We continue to be in dialogue with the developer, to ensure these plans are not changed or watered down.

The Sizewell estate is especially important for the rare barbastelle bat. Alongside East Suffolk Council, we worked hard to ensure key roost sites, typically in old oak trees, were protected. We also called for in-depth monitoring so we could understand how the bats use the estate and the wider landscape. As a result of this work, we were able to push for ‘dark corridors’ across and around the development site, to help the bats forage and find food. We also helped to establish buffers zones around their roosts. As work on the ground is now commencing, we are visiting the site to ensure these buffer areas, dark corridors and the bat roosts are protected.

The light sandy soils of the Suffolk coastal area are important for adder. Suffolk Wildlife Trust worked to ensure adequate monitoring was in place. We also pushed for large areas of habitat to be created, so that when construction started, adder could safely be removed to these new habitats. We are pleased to say these areas were agreed by the developer and these sites have matured well, with new rough grassland, heath, open sandy areas for basking and sites ideal for hibernation. Cumulatively these are well in excess of what is needed for the adder that have been found so far and consequently we are confident that the overall net benefit for the adder population as a whole will be positive. However, we continue to ensure oversight over monitoring and capture.