Sedgemoor councillors tour HPC accommodation sites

SEDGEMOOR District Council members have been given a preview of the new purpose-built accommodation units which are being constructed by EDF Energy to house 1,500 workers for the Hinkley Point C project.

Councillors, including Chairman Mike Cresswell, were given a guided tour of both Sedgemoor Campus, off Bath Road, in Bridgwater and Hinkley Campus at the site of the new nuclear power station near Stogursey.

The first workers are expected to move in this summer.

David Eccles, EDF Energy’s Head of Stakeholder Engagement for Hinkley Point C, said: “Hinkley Point C is already providing huge opportunities for the local area and the project will inject £200 million annually into the regional economy.

“We continue to support the provision of local accommodation and have committed £5 million to the local authorities to increase the supply of suitable housing for local people.

“The two campus sites will reduce pressure on the private rental sector, in particular.”

Hinkley House will have 510 bed spaces, while Sedgemoor Campus will provide 986 rooms.

Some 749 additional bed spaces have been created in Sedgemoor since 2015 through a range of initiatives supported by the £5 million housing fund. These include 180 beds through a lodgings scheme which encourages people to rent spaces in their homes, 88 bed spaces by bringing empty properties back into use and 159 beds through the use of minor improvement grants.

Councillor Mike Cresswell, Chairman of Sedgemoor District Council, said: “I was really impressed with the quality of the new campus accommodation being built for Hinkley Point workers, both out on the Hinkley Point site and on the Sedgemoor Campus, off Bath Road in Bridgwater.

“The modular construction technique is really impressive and the rooms were well equipped.  I particularly liked the proposed landscaping and grounds, which I am sure will make the accommodation seem a little more like a home environment.”   

Hinkley Point C will require about 5,600 workers during peak construction.  Around two thirds of workers will rent privately in the local area or be home-based.

EDF Energy’s £5 million housing fund also supports the online resource Somerset Homelet, which supports the supply and demand of rental property and Flexible Rent Support which has already provided 202 bed spaces to help the most vulnerable have access to the private rented sector.