PEOPLE living in the shadow of Hinkley Point have vowed to take on the might of power giant EDF Energy after firmly rebutting the company's proposals for work associated with the development of a new nuclear power station.

More than 150 people packed into the Victory Hall in Stogursey to voice their concerns about transport links, bus routes, hostel facilities and a "woefully inadequate" community benefit fund.

Parish, district and county councillors joined residents from Stogursey, Shurton, Burton, Wick and Stolford for the meeting, which was called to help formulate Stogursey Parish Council's formal response the stage two of EDF's ongoing consultation process.

Parishioners said they were "deeply unhappy" with the proposed routing of park and ride buses from Williton through Stogursey.

They felt the narrow country lanes and village centre would be unable to cope with the additional traffic and called on EDF to revert to its original proposal to route buses along the A39 to Cannington.

They said for the existing "Hinkley Point Road" - officially known as a the C182 - should be upgraded to cope with additional traffic both during and after construction work and improvements made at the Shurton and Clayland Corner junctions.

District and county councillors were also urged to ensure the proposed Cannington Bypass was completed before any building work could begin on Hinkley C and for consideration to be given to another bypass from Dunball.

However, the most controversial EDF proposal was the inclusion of an on-site hostel for 700 construction workers, which would increase the population of the parish by 50 per cent.

Residents accused EDF of failing to justify the need for the campus and said such a huge increase in the number of residents was both "unreasonable and impractical" for the parish absorb.

A spokesman for Stogursey Parish Council said there had been a "virtually unanimous rejection" of the on-site hostel proposal.

In a statement, the parish council said: "The parish of Stogursey will be subject to more disruption than any other area in the county when you consider the constant traffic, construction noise, dust, light and noise pollution, visual impact and the loss of tranquillity as currently enjoyed.

"Therefore, EDF should compensate the parish proportionately. The community benefit fund of £1m offered by EDF to the whole county of Somerset is woefully inadequate."

Stogursey parish and district councillor Chris Morgan said the meeting had given the parish council "a very firm mandate" on which to form its response to EDF's stage two consultation.

But he said that while people accepted the need for a new station, they felt EDF had not listened to their views and many now distrusted the company.

He told the Free Press: "It would be safe to say that the majority of local people were resigned to the fact that a new generation of nuclear reactors would be built at Hinkley and there was little opposition to that principle, but following the first stage consultation, it became very apparent that EDF had not taken into account any of the

preferred options other than their own.

"Local people are now left wondering whether EDF's consultation process is just a case of getting people to agree to a pre-determined course of action."

He said he was thankful to everyone who had attended the meeting and urged parishioners to complete questionnaires available from both EDF and West Somerset Council.

He also called on people to "bombard the various authorities and MPs" with personal letters of concern and complaint.

EDF has had a rocky ride in West Somerset in the last few months, most recently being accused of offering local people little more than "a few sops" by West Somerset Council leader Cllr Tim Taylor.

He warned that the district was geographically out on a limb and said EDF had been unwilling to do anything that did not benefit the energy firm itself.

But David Eccles, head of the EDF Energy Bridgwater office, who attended the Stogursey meeting, said the company was committed to working with local people.

"Our stage two consultation runs until October 4 and we are very keen to engage with all of our stakeholders so that their comments can inform our plans," he said.

"We have made a number of changes from stage one after listening carefully to earlier feedback and will once again consider carefully all the comments we receive.

"We recognise that as well as the many benefits that a new power station will bring to the area there will also be an impact locally.

"We will ensure that any significant adverse effects of the construction, operation or decommissioning of the power station are appropriately mitigated in a way which is environmentally responsible and sensitive both the needs of the community and to the strategies of the relevant local authorities."

Following the first stage of consultations, EDF dropped controversial plans to build campus accommodation in Williton for up to 200 construction workers after an outcry from residents, parish and district councillors.

Proposals for a temporary 350-space park and ride scheme in the village were also scaled back in the face of opposition.

The southern limit of the main construction site at Hinkley Point was moved further north in response to requests from nearby residents, while "early woodland planting" was promised to the south of a new construction fence and a landscaping bund.

EDF also announced it would create an "apprenticeship skills hub" in West Somerset and estimated the development of Hinkley C would be worth £500 million to the South West economy.

However, Cllr Taylor said West Somerset stood to get just £2 million from the £10 billion development pot.

He criticised EDF's ongoing consultation process and said the firm was not keen to engage with people locally and had ignored the implications its proposals could have on communities

Speaking at a recent district council meeting, Cllr Taylor said: "There seems little indication that EDF is willing to consider proposals at this stage that do not benefit them, other than a few sops.

"Local people deserve some tangible benefits from the Hinkley Point development and these should be continuous and long-term."