COMMUNITY groups across West Somerset are being encouraged to make the most of a multi-million pound windfall designed to offset the impact of site preparation works for the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. Some £2 million of a £3.5 million Community Impact Mitigation Fund, or CIM Fund for short, has been ringfenced specifically for West Somerset. The remaining £1.5 million is for Sedgemoor communities, with £500,000 of that for the Cannington area. And the release of the funding from Hinkley C developer EDF Energy also frees up a separate £500,000 for Stogursey to spend on community mitigation projects. Speaking at Monday's official launch of the fund, Quantock Vale district councillor Chris Morgan said plans were already in the pipeline in Stogursey to make bids for schemes to improve the village hall and help the local youth centre. "This money is going to go a long way to assuage the impact of what will be felt, especially in the host parish of Stogursey which is going to experience the highest level of discomfort," he said. He said he hoped organisations would apply for funding to attract additional cash from outside the area to create a truly lasting legacy from the Hinkley C project. "If it's used properly it is going to have a huge impact and will certainly assuage some of the agony that is going to be felt," Cllr Morgan said. The money has already been paid to West Somerset Council, which will be in control of the pot and will chair a board of West Somerset and Sedgemoor councillors, together with representatives from EDF and Somerset County Council. The board will be responsible for assessing funding applications and making recommendations for a final decision to either the district council's cabinet or full council. The board will meet bi-monthly with the first applications being invited now. The deadline for submissions for the first round of funding is July 1. Decisions will be made on these applications in September, with the next submissions needing to be made by September 1 for a decision in November, and the last round by November 1 for a January decision. There is a £1 million upper limit for individual bids and a specific £24,000 pot has been set aside by the council for bids under £1,000. Although the fund will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, bids will have to meet a strict set of criteria, with applications from communities most affected by the development given priority. Council leader Cllr Tim Taylor said: "This money will mitigate, and to some extent compensate, for the impact Hinkley Point C will have on local communities, with the objective being to promote or improve the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of those communities." The payment by EDF was agreed under the terms of a legal agreement drawn up with West Somerset Council when it granted the French energy giant permission to carry out site preparation works in advance of the main Hinkley C development. The early phases of preparatory works were started in 2012 and, despite several delays, phase two began this month, which involves preparing the land for the new power station. While £3.5 million has been released this year, a further £1.52 million is due to be paid in May next year and another £1.6 million in May 2016. Cllr Taylor said: "West Somerset Council is now considering how to use the fund positively and sensibly for the benefit of local communities. "The fund is intended to mitigate the impact of the next stage of site preparation works at Hinkley Point C on local communities by promoting the economic, social and environmental well-being of the communities concerned." James Holbrook, the district council's major projects manager, said he envisaged the first funds being spent by the end of the summer. "We have been doing a lot of background work already," he said. "There will be cases when a project doesn't meet all the criteria but that will be up to the board to look at and to put a recommendation to the cabinet or council for a final decision." The fund itself is just one element of a huge package of financial and practical aid being provided by EDF as part of the Hinkley C project. Subject to the agreement of Europe and a final investment package being approved by EDF, some £98 million could be pumped into the local community to offset the project through various planning and legal agreements. And David Eccles, EDF's head of communications for the Hinkley C project, said the money was just one element of a raft of benefits from the development: "All of this is going on in parallel to the education and training that is already happening at West Somerset College and Bridgwater College and the development of a Hinkley supply chain for local businesses. "That is all over and above this and will bring a much wider set of opportunities to the area." Nigel Cann, Hinkley Point C site construction director, added: "We have worked very hard with communities and local authorities to maximise the benefits of the project such as investment, training and jobs, but also to minimise the impacts. "We will continue to work closely with the councils to ensure that the funding is effectively deployed to help support our neighbours." The site preparation works include fencing, drainage, excavation and earthworks. EDF said the programme of work had been carefully planned to keep disruption to local communities to a minimum.