At the initial consultation about the Kirksanton site in Cumbria a local resident made this heartfelt statement.
Chris Reed
I live in Haverigg. I have been lucky enough to live in this area all my life. When I was growing
up, I was worried about jobs, because I did not want to leave the area. I now have two girls, 16 and
14, and I would dearly love for them to stay around here as well. Someone once said, 'When they
have you by the balls, hearts and minds will follow.' Our MP is telling us that there is no Plan B to
nuclear in this area. This seems to be an approach being taken by the Government, and the
consultation seems more of a threat than a consultation at times. The area around Kirksanton is
incredibly beautiful and a very special area, and I just find it hard to believe that we are actually
standing here discussing the possibility of destroying it. When you read the Government's
consultation document, it just reads like a company balance sheet. It just concerns me that guys
like you, with your creative accounting and slick arguments, are just piece-by-piece sucking the
lifeblood out of the planet. We have laws to protect these spots, and you just seem to trample all
over them. I just feel that you people, you are to the joy of life what the thought of Anne Robinson
is to an erection!
To me, this is a very precious area, and it just would be a huge loss if it was destroyed by a nuclear
power station. I just do not feel that people like me have been represented in this consultation, so
my question is: can you explain why you have not assessed the extent and the effect of this feeling
of loss in people, like me, in order to decide whether building a nuclear power station at Kirksanton
is worth the pain and that sense of loss? Is it your aim just to gradually lobotomise humanity, over
time, and just to remove all of our feeling for life? Thank you.
How can the committee consent to building such a facility in such an area of natural beauty?
