Published: October 12, 2011
145,000 page Hinkley Point planning application attacked by MP

Burnham-On-Sea's MP has this week quizzed the Secretary of State for Energy on how residents are supposed to be able to consider EDF's Hinkley Point planning application when it amounts to a massive 145,000 pages.

During a debate in the House of Commons, Tessa Munt said: "The Hinkley Point application has been received. I understand that it is a 95,000-page application, with 50,000 pages of supporting documentation."

"How are local people and the statutory authorities that are meant to consider that information supposed to be able to do that with any sense of fairness?"

Chris Huhne, Secretary of State, Energy and Climate Change, responded: "I understand that, either today or yesterday, planning permission was requested for the first new reactor at Hinkley Point."

"All I can say to her on the planning process is that it is completely transparent and open."

"If local people want advice from a number of different sources, they will obviously be able to go to those sources."

"There will be absolutely no shortage of legal or other expertise available to them to do that."

"I am confident that they will be able to understand the purport of the application for planning permission that has been made."