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Nuclear site workers parking on roads a 'nuisance'

Ruth Bradley
Politics reporter, BBC Somerset
Reporting fromBridgwater
Dan Ayers
BBC News, Somerset
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Anna and Andrew said they often feel "threatened" by workers from Hinkley Point C parking on residential streets

Residents living near the construction site of a new nuclear power station have said they are "frustrated" with the amount of workers parking on residential streets.

Somerset Council has approved plans for 120 additional car parking spaces at Bridgwater and Albion Rugby Club to help accommodate thousands of workers at the Hinkley Point C site for five years.

But Andrew, who lives in Bridgwater, said workers that regularly park across his drive are causing a "nuisance".

EDF Energy and Hinkley told the BBC that all workers at the site sign a code of conduct that forbids "fly-parking" in the nearby town and patrols are regularly carried out on local streets in search of workers' cars.

Workers and contractors heading to the Hinkley Point C site are encouraged to use one of the out of town park-and-ride services which provides regular buses to the site.

All workers and contractors have to register their car registration plates when working there, a spokesperson for EDF said.

"The trouble is, if the car isn't registered with Hinkley then they can't prove anything," Andrew said.

The construction site at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. There are several cranes and lots of scaffolding around the reactor.
Construction is expected to finish at Hinkley Point C in 2030

Bridgwater Town Council unanimously rejected the application for extra parking spaces at the rugby club over concerns that it is "the wrong location".

Town councillor Tim Mander said: "Parking from workers is a constant problem within the town.

"We don't think that junction on Bath Way and College Way can sustain more traffic.

"Park and rides should also be out of town, not right in the centre," he added.

Very dry grass rugby pitch. There is a stadium stand in the background and a bricked building. There is a rugby post in front of the picture.
A maximum of 164 car parking spaces and 16 motorbike spaces will be allocated to Hinkley Point C workers at the Bridgwater and Albion Rugby Club

Construction of the new nuclear power station is due to reach its peak over the next 18 months, with about 15,000 people expected to be working on the site to prepare for its completion in 2030.

The figure is "almost a threefold increase" on what was originally estimated, according to Somerset Council.

The local authority has been "continually engaged" with EDF Energy to manage the impact of increasing the workforce.

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