Silent protest planned before DECC meeting at Thornbury Leisure Centre

Local action group, Sheppardine Against Nuclear Power,  are organising a silent protest before the DECC meeting at Thornbury Leisure Centre at 9.15AM on Saturday 6th February 2010

According to their press release, the protesters are wearing gaffer tape over their mouths to show their unheard voice in Oldbury decision.

Residents of Oldbury, Shepperdine, Rockhampton, Nupdown and Thornbury will be congregating outside the Thornbury Leisure Centre in a silent protest to emphasise the non democratic procedures involved in the process.

SANE say, "We have now learnt from the Horizon consultation, that the new power station will cover a site 5 times bigger than existing and will have 3 or 4 massive cooling towers either 70m or 200m high.

The DECC Consultation on the NPS Statement will determine the rules the IPC will have to use in determining the planning application at Oldbury.

In its current form it contains statements seeking to predetermine the outcome of the planning process by eliminating the need for the IPC to consider further difficult areas, such as health risks and waste management problems associated with nuclear power.

Our community will no longer have the fundamental right to have our say on these major issues which will affect our health and wellbeing for many generations to come.

With the NPS, as it is written, our only say will be over minor issues such as the colour of the doors on the Nuclear Plant.

The only help our Council, South Gloucestershire are offering is a page on their website referring us to the DECC website.

The DECC process involves trawling through paperwork over 8” thick with a 40 page form to complete – a task that is impossible for local people to undertake."

They feel that the DECC is simply not listening to the local voice.