Plans for new workers' campus near Hinkley Point C scrapped

Plans for a temporary accommodation campus for Hinkley Point C workers have been scrapped after projections revealed fewer staff will be needed on site at peak times.

The site next to Junction 24 of the M5 Motorway at Huntworth near Bridgwater had been earmarked for temporary housing during the busiest stage of construction, providing beds for around 1,000 workers.

This would have complemented the existing arrangements of 2,500 rooms across three campuses and 4,000 extra bed spaces in local private housing.

However, Hinkley Point C say it now expects the maximum number of workers on site to reach around 14,000, lower than earlier projections.

The company said this will lesson some of the impacts on the community and means that the new campus is no longer needed.

Hinkley Point C will instead focus on increasing available accommodation by refurbishing more older properties and delivering affordable housing schemes.

A spokesperson for Hinkley Point C said this will leave "a more sustainable, longer-term benefit for the area than a temporary worker campus."

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