SIR — When the EDF version of Hinkley Point C started, the buzz word was consultation.

Considerable resource was provided by EDF to inform local people of what was needed to build another power plant. We were able to comment on different aspects of the construction.

EDF stated that as they wished to be good neighbours, they would take note of our comments and do their best to meet our needs.

Consequently, our group who represent the hamlets closest to the site pent many hours trying to change the process to enable us to have a reasonable quality of life during the construction period.

It became a way of life for many people, replacing our normal rural lifestyle.

We didn`t want to stop a Hinkley Point C, we just wanted a reasonable lifestyle during the construction. We worked with our local councils and seemed to be making headway with our main concerns.

Our two main concerns were firstly to prevent the building of a site hostel for 520 single men on the boundary of a country hamlet of around 100 people, and secondly for EDF to give priority to restoration of the land closest to our hamlets when the project is completed. Not unreasonable requirements. Together with local councils, we offered reasoned arguments to support our cases.

We did not realise that it was a complete waste of time.

EDF simply said that if we continued with our claims, they would withdraw all other concessions that they had made in negotiations and revert to their original plan. The rest of Somerset would lose a substantial amount of money.

The local councils were therefore forced to back down. We had been bullied away from what we had thought was our right for consultation on legitimate local concerns.

No doubt a third Heathrow runway, a fast railway line through the Chilterns, land-based windfarms and a multitude of housing projects will all be introduced with the offer of consultation and negotiation on local concerns.

It is important that the local people in those locations realise that consultation is really an expensive confidence trick.

It is the government wanting to seem to be fair-minded but really doing exactly what it wants.

We will continue our fight but we are running out of options.

It should be of concern to open government that local people cannot properly raise their concerns. It would seem to sow the seeds of anarchy.

Peter Farmery,

Shurton.