WEST Somerset Council has pledged to do all it can to protect Stogursey and the surrounding parishes after the Government finally gave the green light for Hinkley C.

The approval was widely anticipated and Tuesday's announcement by Energy Secretary Ed Davey removes all but one last hurdle before work on the massive project can begin.

Stogursey district councillor and deputy leader Cllr Chris Morgan said he was pleased the waiting game was nearly over.

"The local community is already seeing changes to the environment and I know that the council is working very hard together with EDF Energy and our partner councils to minimise any disruption that will be caused," he said.

"We are already working hard to make sure that there are no adverse effects on the local housing market, our tourist industry or from a community safety perspective.

"Members of our council are very keen to support and work with the places and people most affected, such as Stogursey, to gain access to the funding for communities which becomes available once the project starts in earnest."

But even with a development consent order now in place, work will not begin on what would be the UK's first new nuclear power station for a generation unless prospective developer EDF Energy strikes a price guarantee with the Government for the electricity generated at the C station.

Talks between the two sides have stalled in recent weeks and EDF has been scaling back its workforce on site.

But if an agreement can be reached and the project does go ahead, EDF is confident some 25,000 jobs would be created during the construction process.

A further 900 jobs would follow over the station's lifetime, while the electricity generated would meet seven per cent of the country's needs for at least the next 60 years.

West Somerset Council leader Cllr Tim Taylor welcomed Mr Davey's decision and said Hinkley Point C would be a massive boost to the local economy.

"We have heard for some time that EDF Energy is 'shovel ready' and I am pleased to confirm that our council has already been working hard to deliver on our commitments and is also 'Hinkley ready'," he said.

"We already have a series of programmes in place providing all sorts of opportunities for local businesses to benefit from being in the supply chain and local people to be trained to become part of a skilled workforce.

"We will use the resources provided to us from the development to create a sustainable legacy for our community."

Mr Davey's decision follows a detailed planning examination and a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate at the end of last year.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Davey said a new generation of nuclear power stations was a key part of the UK's future low-carbon energy mix, bringing with it major investment, new jobs and growth.

"In recommending that development consent be granted, the [Planning Inspectorate] concluded that the benefits of the proposed Hinkley Point C station outweighed the impacts, including those on the local communities, particularly when taking into account proposed mitigation measures," he said.

"These include the provision of a bypass around Cannington,

enhanced landscaping and access for amenity purposes

and ensuring that the workforce does not cause any additional burden on local services such as health, education and housing.

"I expect the wide range of mitigations and controls provided for in the order and elsewhere to be effective in reducing the impact of the construction work on local people.

"But I also recognise that, as these works are carried out, those who live in the area may well have their daily lives disrupted in one way or another."

The application for Hinkley C ran to more than 30,000 pages and contained 800 plans and drawings.

It was submitted at the end of October 2011 and was followed by a six-month examination during which the public, statutory consultees and interested parties were given the opportunity to give evidence before a recommendation was made to the Energy Secretary in December last year.

Planning Inspectorate chief executive Sir Michael Pitt said the Hinkley C application was the largest ever dealt with by the organisation.

"A major priority for us over the course of the examination was to ensure that communities who might be affected by this proposal had the opportunity to put forward their views," he said.

"The examination of the application was completed within the timescales prescribed in the Planning Act and a recommendation made to the Energy Secretary.

"The decision by the Energy Secretary supports that recommendation."