Not the biggest hotel in Europe. Bridgwater is the nearest town to what is the biggest construction site in Europe. EDF started work two years ago and there are currently 3,300 people on site, but soon this will go up to 5,600. It is expected to bring 20,000 people to the area and it is costing twice the cost of the 2012 Olympics. Emma Britton has always lived in the shadow of nuclear power. Her hometown of Bridgwater is ten miles from Hinkley Power station. As a child her Mum told her “don’t worry about Hinkley, if it goes up you won’t know a thing about it”. Today she’s a breakfast presenter on the BBC in the South West, “I reckon I’ve done more phone-ins on Hinkley C than anything else”. But, despite the controversy, the third station got the go-ahead from Theresa May late in 2016 – and, over the past two years, her town has started to change. There’s been a surge of investment in the town, and there’s a massive demand for accommodation. There is no way there is enough B&Bs or rental properties to go round.
Radio 4 15th February 2019 read more »
