The Petition of residents of Bridgwater,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that EDF Energy should not be granted permission to proceed with the Hinckley Point C Nuclear Development without first constructing a northern bypass for Bridgwater from Junction 23 of the M5 to connect with the A39 west of Cannington; that such a bypass would ensure that construction traffic would avoid Bridgwater’s already over-congested roads and leave the whole area a worthwhile legacy after the construction of the Hinckley Point C Nuclear Development is complete; and that the Petitioners believe that a bypass would render an EDF facility and the Bridgwater Gateway Development an unnecessary and unjustifiable intrusion on farmland close to the residential area of North Petherton.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take all possible steps to ensure that permission for EDF Energy to proceed with the Hinckley Point C Nuclear Development should be conditional on the construction of a northern bypass for Bridgwater from Junction 23 of the M5 to connect with the A39 west of Cannington.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger, Official Report, 19 July 2011; Vol. 531, c. 906.]
[P000946]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport, received 3 October 2011:
It would be for the developer to put forward a transport strategy as part of any development consent application, for consideration by the Infrastructure Planning Commission. Interested parties would be able to make representations on the application through the planning process.
There are clear statutory and policy frameworks in place governing arrangements for processing and determining planning applications and applications for development consent for major infrastructure projects—including matters relating to conditions, obligations and requirements. It is important that these are adhered to. It would be inappropriate for the Government to comment on any specific aspect of a prospective planning or development consent application, or speculate about conditions that may or may not be applied by the decision-maker to any eventual consent.