YOU will all have doubtless seen the recent media coverage of the West Somerset Lagoon.

In some articles, it’s hailed as the next great project in Somerset, in others, praise is harder to come by. I would like to think by now that you all know where I stand on this issue, but I know that many of you feel that this has all come at once, and it has been difficult to voice your views on the project.

I am delighted to say that this is not the case anymore – the West Somerset Lagoon Project now has, live on their website, a public consultation for everyone to share views on this project: whatever those views may be. I hope that all of you seek out that consultation and engage with it – but whilst you are thinking about that consultation, let me tell you why I firmly back this project.

Meeting our energy needs as a country have been pitted against meeting our legally binding climate targets for much of the last few years. The West Somerset Lagoon would, however, be a step on the way to achieving both. We could take a step towards removing this country from the energy price escalator which is the international gas market and take a step towards a renewable energy Britain. For me, that is a no brainer.

When the sun doesn’t shine, and the wind doesn’t blow – there will always be tides. The West Somerset Lagoon would be located on the second highest tidal range in the world. This isn’t just a flash in the pan project – this will potentially be around for generations, helping to power two-million homes, and Somerset, into a greener future.

During the construction phase, the lagoon would generate around 8,000 jobs across the South West and South Wales, and – once operating – would be the permanent home for 300 jobs. Not only that, but with a 300-berth marina, enclosed water sports hub, viewing tower, and nature restoration sites, the positive impact on opportunities for my community in West Somerset cannot be understated. West Somerset was ranked 324/324 in social mobility when it was last surveyed as a discrete area, and still has parts of it in the top 10 per cent of deprived communities in the UK. As your MP, I have been, and will continue to, campaign for better health services, transport, schools, more police and improved infrastructure – but this will only take us so far. The lagoon could be that next step towards those ambitions: if we take that step.

But the benefits won’t just be confined to the lagoon itself. By enclosing part of the West Somerset coast, the lagoon would effectively insulate the area from coastal erosion. On top of that, a priority for the project will be proactively engaging to upgrade local roads, such as the A39, and replacing the B3191 – all through the Community Investment Levy (or CIL) money derived from the wider project. I know how much improvements to the A39 and a new B3191 would mean to my constituents in West Somerset – and that is why I am backing this project.

I hope I have convinced you to back the project to – and please do make sure you complete the West Somerset Lagoon’s consultation. We are at a crossing point in West Somerset – we can either bury our heads in the sand and allow ourselves only limited inwards economic investment, or we can be ambitious. We can seize this opportunity to put West Somerset on the world map as an area of innovation, cultural and environmental excellence, and lead the way in providing a greener, climate friendly future for generations to come.