Two Tory MPs have asked Transport Secretary Mark Harper to stand in the way of plans for a vast rail freight hub in the Leicestershire countryside.
South Leicestershire MP and his Hinckley and Bosworth counterpart Luke Evans fear the 440 acre development will have a huge impact on the local countryside and roads.
Tritax Symmetry wants to build the £550 million Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange between the tiny village of Elmesthorpe and Hinckley.
The terminal would have a daily capacity to accommodate up to 16 trains measuring almost half a mile long. There would also be a new slip road onto junction 2 of the M69.
The developer says the site could contribute an estimated £316 million to the economy each year and generate around £24.65 million of annual business rates. It has said it could eventually create 8,400 jobs.
The buildings would go up on fields south of the existing Leicester to Hinckley railway track and to the west of the motorway.
There would be new sidings and freight transfer facilities on a 34 acre plot alongside the track – which is part of Network Rail’s ‘F2N’ freight route between Felixstowe and Nuneaton.
A development consent order – a kind of planning application for what is considered a ‘Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project’ – will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State next year.
Alberto Costa – the MP for South Leicestershire where the site would be located – has previously raised the plans in Parliament, and has been supported by Bosworth MP Dr Luke Evans, whose constituency borders the site.
Their letter to the Secretary of State expresses concern over the rail hub’s environmental impact on nearby Burbage Common, a site of Special Scientific Interest, the site’s effect on local roads, and the potential disruption for passenger train services at nearby Narborough station.
Both MPs have also surveyed their constituents in South Leicestershire and Bosworth seeking local views on the rail hub’s impact, with Mr Costa planning a further survey in the New Year.
Mr Costa said: “As I have mentioned in Parliament previously, the sheer size and scale of the proposed Rail Hub could have a hugely detrimental impact on our local environment and infrastructure in this part of Leicestershire, and therefore the Government needs to be made aware of the considerable concerns my constituents, and those in Bosworth, have over these plans before taking any decisions.”
Dr Luke Evans said: “Following news that Tritax have concluded the consultation into the viability of a Rail Freight Interchange in Hinckley I have also written to the developers to request a list of any amendments made to the proposals previously shared with us.
“While lowering the maximum height of the building from 33m to 28m is welcome, many questions from our community regarding the strain on transport links remain unanswered.”
