Britain's biggest building site: What Sizewell C will mean for coastal community
It's set to become the biggest building site in Britain - and it's likely to hold that title for several years.
Work on Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast is now well under way, with the first steps being to get all the essentials in place for when the rest of the construction workforce descends.
On Tuesday, the project cleared its final hurdle as the government confirmed the £38bn funding package to make the plant a reality.
Drone images show the extent of work which has already taken place, with huge swathes of countryside by the coast cleared in preparation of the major earthworks to come.
Nigel Cann, one of the two joint managing directors of Sizewell C, said: "We're really focusing on getting the infrastructure ready to create, well, a town really.
"Electricity, roads, water - all the things you need for a big construction site that will eventually have 7,900 people on it."
Sizewell C will cover 915 acres onshore, and a further 1,581 acres offshore.
When it is finally ready to be switched on, it will power the equivalent of six million homes - about 7% of the UK's electricity.
That site will be fed by a new link road to the A12. A new train line will be built, as 60% of the building supplies are due to arrive by rail or sea.
There will be a park and ride at Darsham, a new roundabout at Yoxford, a bypass around Farnham and a southern park and ride near Lower Hacheston.
More than 20,000 trees have already been felled, though Sizewell bosses have promised to plant four times as many in their place.
They have also created three nature reserves, such as nearby Wild Aldhurt.
Steve Mannings, an environment expert at Sizewell C, said: "Give nature space and time and nature will recover - and that's what Wild Aldhurst is, it's a huge nature recovery project.
"It's very clear to us - and has been from the very beginning - that while you're investing in infrastructure, it's also a great opportunity for investing in nature.
"The two go hand in hand and we've demonstrated that here."
But campaigners counter that there are no quick fixes, and that the area will take decades to recover.
Alison Downes, from the Stop Sizewell C campaign group, said local people were facing "not only the dismay and devastation of seeing the environmental destruction that's around, but the day-to-day decision making we have to make has changed.
"[If] we've got an appointment in Leiston, we have to allow double, maybe three times as much time to get there.
"Do we want to cycle somewhere? No, we don't, there are too many lorries. All sorts of decisions that affect our everyday lives."
Sizewell bosses said that they are already employing lots of local firms and that eventually they expect to spend around £4bn in the East of England.
They also plan to build a new "college on the coast" to train a homegrown workforce, creating a generation of jobs for workers.
The target is for the plant to be built by the mid-2030s.
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Sizewell C is already changing the Suffolk coastline, as Rob Setchell reports for ITV News Anglia It's set to become the biggest building site in Britain - and it's likely to hold that title for several years. Work on Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast is now well under way, with the first steps being to get all the essentials in place for when the rest of the construction workforce descends. On Tuesday, the project cleared its final hurdle as the government confirmed the £38bn funding package to make the plant a reality. Drone images show the extent of work which has already taken place, with huge swathes of countryside by the coast cleared in preparation of the major earthworks to come. Nigel Cann, one of the two joint managing directors of Sizewell C, said: "We're really focusing on getting the infrastructure ready to create, well, a town really. "Electricity, roads, water - all the things you need for a big construction site that will eventually have 7,900 people on it." Sizewell C will cover 915 acres onshore, and a further 1,581 acres offshore. When it is finally ready to be switched on, it will power the equivalent of six million homes - about 7% of the UK's electricity. That site will be fed by a new link road to the A12. A new train line will be built, as 60% of the building supplies are due to arrive by rail or sea. There will be a park and ride at Darsham, a new roundabout at Yoxford, a bypass around Farnham and a southern park and ride near Lower Hacheston. More than 20,000 trees have already been felled, though Sizewell bosses have promised to plant four times as many in their place. They have also created three nature reserves, such as nearby Wild Aldhurt. Steve Mannings, an environment expert at Sizewell C, said: "Give nature space and time and nature will recover - and that's what Wild Aldhurst is, it's a huge nature recovery project. "It's very clear to us - and has been from the very beginning - that while you're investing in infrastructure, it's also a great opportunity for investing in nature. "The two go hand in hand and we've demonstrated that here." But campaigners counter that there are no quick fixes, and that the area will take decades to recover. Alison Downes, from the Stop Sizewell C campaign group, said local people were facing "not only the dismay and devastation of seeing the environmental destruction that's around, but the day-to-day decision making we have to make has changed. "[If] we've got an appointment in Leiston, we have to allow double, maybe three times as much time to get there. "Do we want to cycle somewhere? No, we don't, there are too many lorries. All sorts of decisions that affect our everyday lives." Sizewell bosses said that they are already employing lots of local firms and that eventually they expect to spend around £4bn in the East of England. They also plan to build a new "college on the coast" to train a homegrown workforce, creating a generation of jobs for workers. The target is for the plant to be built by the mid-2030s.
