ENERGY giant EDF will be encouraged to build new homes to house workers for its proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point amid fears that the influx of staff could force house prices and rents to rocket in West Somerset.

Both West Somerset Council and neighbouring Sedgemoor District Council believe EDF has not gone far enough to safeguard communities which face massive upheaval during the ten-year construction period.

And the authorities are also concerned about the lack of 'legacy infrastructure'.

West Somerset Council planning manager Andrew Goodchild said that within its application for the new power station - which has yet to be determined - EDF Energy had identified five ways in which it believed the workforce accommodation requirements could be met.

These included campuses, private rented sector housing, tourism accommodation, buying properties and lodging.

"We have consistently raised concerns about the potential impact on prices with regards to renting and buying, as well as impacts on the availability of tourism accommodation in peak months if there is an influx of EDF Energy workers needing local accommodation," said Mr Goodchild.

"In West Somerset, the Williton Masterplan and the Supplementary Planning Document have sought to establish conditions which would allow EDF Energy to build permanent new homes, with an element of affordable housing, providing an important sixth strand to their accommodation strategy.

"We feel new build would help control the costs of renting and buying properties, which would help prevent local people from being priced out of the market."

Mr Goodchild said it should also help reduce the potential strain on tourism accommodation, which was a vital component of the local economy.

"New build housing would also leave a lasting and positive legacy for communities hosting the workers if the development goes ahead."

A recent study by the National Housing Federation revealed that house prices in West Somerset were more than 14 times the average local income, making the district the least affordable place to buy a home and one of the most expensive places to get on the property ladder in the South West.

The research found that the average house price in West Somerset was £226,981, while the average income was just £15,954.