Pontins Pakefield to house 500 Sizewell C construction workers

Pontins Pakefield has been an adult-only resort since 2020

Andy Trigg

BBC News, Suffolk

A Pontins holiday park is due to be transformed into accommodation for 500 workers who will be constructing a nuclear power station.

Sizewell C said it had reached an agreement with Pontins Pakefield, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, to deliver "a long-term legacy for the area".

The firm said no staff at the Pontins resort would lose their jobs and it promised "considerable refurbishment" of the site.

Sizewell C, partly funded by the French energy company EDF, is set to be built on land between Aldeburgh and Southwold, costing about £20bn.

A company spokesperson said: "At peak construction, Sizewell C will require a workforce of 7,900 people with at least a third coming from the local area.

"Those workers living away from home can expect to use the accommodation campus on the Sizewell C site which will house 2,400 workers, Pontins, and the remainder using existing local accommodation - in order to deliver local economic benefits."

Workers living at Pontins are due to be transported to the power plant by bus - a 21-mile (34 km) journey lasting about 35 minutes.

Image source, Sizewell C

Sizewell C, on the right, would be built next to Sizewell B, which is still generating, and Sizewell A, far left, which operated until 2006 and is being decommissioned

Building permission for Sizewell C, which promises to generate 3.2 gigawatts of electricity, was granted in July 2022.

EDF claimed the plant could power the equivalent of about six million homes and generate electricity for 60 years.

The rental agreement between Sizewell C and Pontins is expected to take effect next January - with construction of the power plant set to last almost a decade.

In 2023, EDF took over 900 chalets at Pontins Brean Sands in Somerset to house construction workers building Hinkley Point C - a similar sized nuclear power station.

Last month, local traders said the move "decimated" the seaside resort.

Image source, Jonny michel/BBC

Sizewell C says it will take over the whole of Pontins Pakefield which means the holiday park will close to the public

In its heyday, Pontins offered 30 destinations across the UK. Now it has just two.

Pontins was approached for comment.

The Stop Sizewell C campaign group said in a statement that Sizewell C had "rejected appeals to develop a sustainable housing solution" by instead coming up with accommodation options in "urban settings".

"The industrialisation of our coast for many years to come will deter visitors and lead to long-term change in the character and appeal of our region," a spokesperson said.

Follow East of England news on Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external. Got a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, external or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830