EDF Energy should do more to compensate youngsters who will spend their childhoods living in the shadow of a construction site if permission is given for a third nuclear power station at Hinkley Point.

The call was made by district and parish councillor Chris Morgan who accused the energy giant and prospective Hinkley C developer of caring more for wildlife than for young people.

The company has pledged to give £2.25 million in trust funds to local communities affected by the large-scale "preliminary works" proposed for the 171 hectares site.

Of that, £250,000 has been earmarked specifically for Stogursey to "improve the economic social or environmental well-being of the local community in recognition of the particular proximity of the site preparation works".

A further £1 million would go into a community trust fund for local communities affected by the works and another £1 million would be put into a social and economic fund to help offset the impact on the tourism industry and to attract inward investment.

But Cllr Morgan said Stogursey's proposed cash pot was nothing short of derisory and this week called for his parish council colleagues to rebuff EDF's offer.

He said £250,000 would not even buy a house in the parish and called for the company to financially support the local school as well.

"If EDF is serious in wanting to be a good neighbour, it is not unreasonable to expect for them to invest in the local school," he said.

"It represents the future of our village and, without it, we face an unsustainable future for the young people of Stogursey.

"I find it unbelievable that a company can spend vast sums of money rehousing badgers, bats, insects and bugs, but has not even considered the young people of the parish and their future education.

"They will spend their entire childhood living in a construction site.

"I would ask that parish councillors inform EDF that without investment in our school and the future of our village their offer of a community fund is worthless."

EDF is also proposing to give £600,000 to the West Somerset Community College to develop a "Hinkley Ready Skills Project" and £500,000 to Bridgwater College for a construction skills centre.

Talks are ongoing with the Environment Agency about investment in flood defences, while an unspecified road safety contingency fund would pay for signs, lining, "minor pedestrian improvements" and vehicle activated signs, if required.

People living closest to the site in Shurton, Burton, Knighton and Wick would be given money to limit noise, light and dust disturbance by double-glazing their homes, having their windows regularly cleaned and carrying out screen planting in their gardens.

Anyone wanting to move from certain areas would also be able to seek compensation if they could prove their house price had dropped as a result of the development.

But Cllr Morgan said none of the proposals would cost EDF "very much money in real terms", especially when they were set against the "enormous upheaval and discomfort" local communities would suffer.

The massive scale of EDF's preliminary works is outlined in thousands of pages of documents now registered as part of a planning application to West Somerset Council.

The site 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 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 - despite planning to remove hedgerows and woodland and culverting the Holford Stream during 15 months' of preparation work.

Reinstatement of the land would take a further three years, while a new power station would take up to six years to build, leaving local residents to potentially contend with a construction site from early 2011 right through until 2018.

According to EDF's own figures, during the peak of the site preparation works, there would be 164 daily HGV deliveries to Hinkley, with lorries travelling along the A39 and on through Stogursey.

The company wants the site to be operational between 7am and 6pm from Monday to Friday and from 7am to 1pm on Saturdays.

There would be an average workforce of around 300, peaking at approximately 560 towards the end of the works, although on-site parking would only be provided for 250 vehicles to encourage workers to car-share.

Around 11 kilometres of footpaths would have to be diverted, including a one kilometre section of the South West Coast Path.

There would also be two concrete batching plants, two new site access points each with its own roundabout and a temporary electricity sub-station, but no improvements carried out on existing local roads.

The company accepted there would be some light pollution from the site but said specialist lighting would be used to minimise the effect, while earth bunds and planting schemes would mitigate noise and visual impacts.

In its application EDF said: "Careful consideration has been given to the potential combined works on the general residential amenity of the nearby settlements of Shurton, Wick, Burton and Knighton.

"Apart from the traffic-related impacts, all other impacts on residences in these settlements are considered to be minor adverse or negligible.

"The individual impacts by themselves are not, therefore, considered to be significant.

"However, it is recognised that these small villages are located within close physical proximity to a large construction site and that, even with the full implementation of the proposed mitigation measures, there could be affects on the quality of life of local residents through general disturbance, changes in lifestyle and influence on local perceptions . . ."

The company said there would also be significant local and regional benefits from the development and it was keen to work with local businesses.

EDF has separately applied to the Marine Management Organisation for permission for a temporary jetty to enable materials to be brought in by sea to minimise disruption to local residents.

It estimates that delivering bulk materials by sea would avoid 80 per cent of shipments being sent via road.

Richard Mayson, EDF Energy's director of planning and external affairs, said the jetty would help speed up the construction of a new power station if permission was forthcoming.

"A key feature of these works is that they are designed to support the timetable of the main project, ensuring that disruption to local communities is kept to a minimum and will support our aim of our first new reactor at Hinkley Point being operational in 2018," he said.

* EDF Energy and West Somerset Council will be holding a public meeting in the Victory Hall, Stogursey, this evening (Friday December 17) from 6.30pm to 9.30pm and another at Bridgwater College's Cannington Centre on January 5, again between 6.30pm and 9.30pm.