PRESS RELEASE-------DECC-PLEASE SEE THE LIGHT-----PRESS RELEASE

MARCH 4th AT 6.15pm OUTSIDE OF THORNBURY TOWN COUNCIL OFFICES

From Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy*

LOCAL RESIDENTS TO MARCH IN A CALL TO THE GOVERNMENT TO "SEE THE LIGHT"

OLDBURY IS SIMPLY NOT SUITABLE FOR NEW NUCLEAR

Following the recent discussion meeting  held in Thornbury with representatives from the DECC and the subsequent submissions that numerous bodies and individuals have made to the DECC we feel it is imperative that the Shepperdine site, near Oldbury is removed from the list of 10 sites proposed for new nuclear power stations. This site is totally unsuitable on so many obvious grounds but we have reservations that the government will not listen in their rush to fix the mess they are now in over their predicted energy gap.....

We are to hold a protest gathering and march in Thornbury town centre on Thursady March 4th at 6.15pm entitled "DECC----Please See The Light" before the meeting held by the promoter (Eon) on the same evening.

It will involve a short march from outside the Thornbury Town Council Offices to the Eon meeting at Cossham Hall with the protesters carrying placards, torches, candles and other forms of light.

We will also be projecting some key messages and images on to the buildings in the vicinity.

Reg Illingworth of SANE says "The people of the villages of the Severn Vale and the town of Thornbury know that what DECC is proposing is wrong on so many grounds--- it is reassuring to have the support of South Gloucestershire Council and numerous politicians. Our County Council have now highlighted most of these to the DECC in their formal response. Including the fact that it is in a high level flood zone, where it is so obviously ridiculous to consider such a scheme, made even more ridiculous when you bear in mind they are planning to store highly toxic waste on the site for up to 150 years! Other obvious concerns highlighted by the council include the impact of the monstrous cooling towers on the adjacent areas of outstanding natural beauty and the cummulative effect of other large scale proposals in the area including the Severn tidal barrage." 

" We invite everybody with any concerns to join our protest on the evening. It is still by no means certain that the government will listen to us in their rush to rectify the damage done by doing nothing about filling the energy gap for far too long. It will be for a maximum of one hour! It could help save our community!"

"Your support is valued"

* Notes for press:

Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy is a newly formed group of local residents living close to the nominated site referred to in the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) draft National Policy Statement for Energy (NPS) documentation as ‘Oldbury’. This proposed site is in fact within the village of Shepperdine 2.5km to the north of Oldbury. Our group is growing in numbers and includes residents from the villages of Shepperdine itself, Oldbury, Rockhampton, Nupdown, Falfield and the nearby town of Thornbury . Contact Reg Illingworth: tel 07979 560056

The DECC has just completed its public consultation on these documents and when finalised they will nominate the sites they consider suitable for a new generation of super-sized nuclear power stations. The documents will also set out the 'rules' which the (much criticised new government quango) Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) must follow in determining whether or not Planning Consent should be granted.  The draft of these rules sets out what the IPC can and can not consider and in its current form seeks to pre-determine the outcome of the new nuclear sites by stating that it should not consider many of these serious issues.