Brean tourism businesses have this week expressed concern that a three-year delay to the Hinkley Point C project may lead to Brean Pontins remaining closed for longer in order to accommodate the power station’s workers.
It comes as EDF announced fresh delays to Hinkley Point C with the completion date now expected to be be 2029 or 2030 – and the final cost soaring to £46bn.
Brean’s tourism business group Discover Brean says it is concerned that the delays will lead EDF to extend its temporary closure of Pontins beyond 2025 in order to contuinue accommodating 900 Hinkley Point C workers who curretnly live there.
The Pontins closure has been blamed by Brean tourism businesses for a big downturn in their trade since the holiday park closed at the end of 2022.
EDF told Burnham-On-Sea.com this week it has a “three-year lease on the park which remains an important element of our accommodation strategy, reducing impact on the private rental sector.” The lease currently runs until 2025. The company would not be drawn further yesterday on any intention to seek an extension on the Pontins lease.
A spokesman for Discover Brean told Burnham-On-Sea.com last night: “Whilst we have no confirmation that EDF will continue to use the Pontins site any longer than the 3 years they have stated, we imagine that the delay in building work may very well lead to an extension of the occupation.”
“This further highlights the poor decision by Sedgemoor and now Somerset Council to not require a change of use planning permission including a time restriction on the occupation of the site. At present there is no restriction in how long they could use the site.”
The Discover Brean spokesman adds: “We have heard for some time that various contracts within the Pontins site were in excess of three years so it wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“Furthermore, the fact EDF have used the Pontins site despite it being contrary to their own accommodation strategy and in breach of the adopted local development plan as adopted by the local authority.”
“Our stance remains unchanged, the use by EDF workers on an all year round basis constitutes a material change of use at the site and has had a detrimental impact on the character and amenity of the local area which should mean a change of use planning application should have been submitted or enforcement action started.”
