BUSINESSES across the county are being urged to lobby West Somerset Council to ensure a decision is made soon on EDF Energy's application for site preparation works at Hinkley Point.

The Somerset Chamber of Commerce has called for firms to "make their voices heard" as it believes EDF's large-scale proposals would be a multi-million pound boost for the county's economy.

The company had hoped to begin clearing the 171 hectares site in March in anticipation of securing permission to build Hinkley C.

But the timescale has slipped and West Somerset Council's planners are unlikely to consider the extensive preliminary works application until June at the earliest.

Rupert Cox, the chamber's chief executive, said district councillors needed to be "encouraged" to give "sufficient consideration to the business and employment benefits of the project".

He said: "While we understand that there are many environmental issues and other factors that need to be considered, the business and employment benefits are not necessarily being given the weight they warrant at present.

"At a time when many businesses are fighting for survival, a planning decision that delays the start of the site preparation work will be particularly costly to both business and employment as we fight our way out of a recession."

Earlier this month, the district council reopened the public consultation on the planning application for site preparation works at Hinkley after asking for more information from the energy company.

The reams of additional details form part of EDF's environmental statement and are subject to consultation until May 20.

The information covers subjects including fencing, vegetation clearance, public rights of way, access, flood assessments and construction traffic management.

But Adrian Dyer, chief executive of West Somerset Council, refuted any suggestion the council itself was to blame for any delays.

He said the council had only received the additional details from EDF at the end of April, while the information was necessary to "complete" the company's statutory environmental statement.

Mr Dyer said: "We can assure the chamber that councillors do not need encouragement to give sufficient consideration or weight to the business case because, as the planning authority, we are well aware of our responsibility to Somerset to understand and account for the business case.

"A tremendous amount of work has and is being put into this and all other aspects of the proposals.

"We are also very aware of our duty to our community and would like to clarify that West Somerset Council is in no way responsible for any delays in making a decision on the application.

"The size and scale of the proposal that our council is now considering will significantly and directly affect the lives of local residents, let alone the decade it would take to build the proposed reactors and the century afterwards with the waste storage proposals.

"We feel it is imperative that local people are fully informed and have the opportunity to let us know their views.

"We can assure everyone that we are working to maximise any potential benefits.

"However, we are also very aware that there could be significant negative impacts, which we take very seriously and would seek to mitigate wherever possible."

The chamber said it believed the site preparation works would inject £5 million in wages alone into the local economy, while, overall, the Hinkley C project would create 5,000 Somerset jobs during construction and 900 permanent jobs during operation.

That in turn would equate to £100 million a year going into the local economy during construction and £40 million a year during operation.

The chamber said businesses needed the boost the site preparation works would bring sooner rather than later and urged its member to lobby both the council and individual councillors.

Mr Cox said: "We have until May 20 to communicate our views and so far the voice of business has not been heard clearly enough.

"The West Somerset district planning authority has a responsibility to the whole of Somerset to fully understand and account for the business case when assessing this application.

"I urge businesses throughout the county make sure their voices are heard and to get involved in this unique opportunity."

Mr Dyer said the council welcomed all comments from individuals, groups and businesses affected by the proposals.

"We agree with the chamber that the business case is very important but so are people and our communities, particularly those closest to the proposed development who will be most directly affected.

"It should be remembered, moreover, that although the benefits of energy security would be national, the impacts would most certainly be local," Mr Dyer said.

EDF's planned 15 months of preparation works would include the removal of hedgerows and woodland from a site that is bigger than the whole village of Williton and covers the equivalent of more than 158 football pitches.

Wembley Stadium could be filled twice over with the soil earmarked for removal as part of works to level the land in the hope a development consent is subsequently granted by the national Infrastructure Planning Commission for Hinkley C.

If permission is not forthcoming for the new station, EDF has promised it will restore the land, which would take a further three years.

A new power station would take up to six years to build, leaving local residents potentially to contend with a construction site until 2018.