A grant scheme aimed at mitigating the visual impact of the new Sizewell C plant has been launched.
The £10m Natural Environment Improvement Fund (NEIF) will support environmental enhancement projects along the East coast as the new nuclear power station takes shape.
An awards panel to oversee the fund has been formed and is made up of representatives from East Suffolk Council, Suffolk County Council, Sizewell C, Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape, and Natural England.
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Sizewell beach near Leiston(Image: Sizewell C)
NEIF will be funded by Sizewell C as part of its Deed of Obligation and the panel will meet regularly to review applications and award grants.
Natalie Singleton has been appointed as the project officer at Suffolk & Essex Coasts & Heaths National Landscape team to assess grant applications and make recommendations to the panel.
"East Suffolk is home to landscapes recognised for their natural beauty, from rare coastal habitats such as vegetated shingle to heathland and ancient woodland," she said.
"The Natural Environment Improvement Fund offers an exciting funding opportunity for the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape and beyond.
"I look forward to working with applicants to support initiatives which protect and enhance these special habitats and places, their cultural heritage and the wildlife they support."
At least 50% of the funding will go to eligible projects within the Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape and the Suffolk Heritage Coast within East Suffolk.
Among the fund's aims are maintaining woodlands, hedges, and other vegetation, enhancing ecology, biodiversity, and wildlife, improving habitat connectivity and conserving and enhancing the landscape character.
Wild Aldhurst nature reserve on Sizewell C land near the plant(Image: Sizewell C)
Tom Daly, NEIF panel member and cabinet member for energy and climate change at East Suffolk Council, said he was pleased to be on the panel and was looking forward to helping applicants make a lasting difference.
"Along with other mitigations and landscape commitments, it is a welcome acknowledgement that this huge development must be done with the future of our countryside very much in the foreground."
Richard Rout, Suffolk County Council's cabinet member for devolution, local government reform and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, is also a panel member.
"The people of Suffolk are understandably concerned by the impact that energy projects like Sizewell C will have on their lives," he said.
"The Natural Environment Improvement Fund will seek to help address the impacts caused by Sizewell C, especially within the national landscape."
Applications for single-year and multi-year projects are welcome.
Full details of the fund, eligibility criteria, relevant geographic areas, and what's needed to submit an application are available on the portal.
Julia Pyke, joint managing director of Sizewell C, said they aimed to leave a lasting positive legacy for local communities and wildlife.
"We look forward to working with our partners and applicants to deliver significant and meaningful environmental benefits across the Suffolk coast," she added.