Dr Luke Evans and Alberto Costa, recently re-elected Members of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth and South Leicestershire, respectively, have written to the new Secretary of State for Transport to, yet again, raise concerns over the proposed Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange, in light of comments by the new Labour Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
The Members of Parliament represent the constituencies which would be most impacted by the proposed development of the Hinckley NRFI. Over the past few years, the MPs have worked together ‘to reiterate our constituents concerns on the substantial and material impact this development would have on our area.’
The letter followed a speech by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, during which she said “[I will] ask the Secretaries of State for Transport and Energy Security and Net Zero to prioritise decisions on infrastructure projects that have been sitting unresolved for far too long.”
Within the letter, the MPs said ‘In light of [the Chancellor’s] comments and the considerable concern within our communities regarding this application, we seek your assurance that your determination of this application will follow due process and that the views of our constituents will not be overridden.’
Both MPs reiterated shared concerns about the impact the proposed Hinckley NRFI is likely to have on the environment, predominantly Burbage Common and Woods, local infrastructure networks, but also the process in consulting the relevant statutory bodies like local councils and highways agencies. The letter went on to say ‘There are already several Rail Freight Interchanges within a short distance of the proposed site, and the need for another in South Leicestershire has not been demonstrated.’
Previous complaints made by the MPs over the behaviour of the Developer, Tritax Symmetry, were also referenced in the letter as they explained multiple Local Authorities and statutory consultees has ‘raised concerns over missing or deficient transport documents and statements of common ground.’
Following the end of the Examination Stage earlier this year, the Planning Inspectorate has submitted a Recommendation Report on the proposed rail hub to the Transport Secretary who has until September 12th to make a decision.
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth, said “After the Chancellor’s comments about ‘prioritising’ infrastructure applications such as this, I am concerned that the new Transport Secretary’s decision on the proposed Hinckley NRFI will overlook the many deficiencies and not give due weight to the considerable concerns of people across Hinckley and Bosworth and South Leicestershire.
“When I spoke to the Planning Inspector at the Open Hearing I stressed the results of the responses I received from Local Authorities and National Highways regarding their serious concerns about missing information and lack of communication from the Developer. This significantly undermines a decision process. After all, how can the Planning Inspector give their recommendation on an application if the very organisations legally required to provide information, say there are problems?
“Then there are the obvious concerns among many in our community about the impact the proposal could have on our local environment and Burbage Common, as well as worsening the congestion on our local roads. I hope the new Labour Government will not be moving the goalposts to fit their agenda at the expense of our community.”
Alberto Costa, Member of Parliament for South Leicestershire, said “The HNRFI proposal is now a decision for the Labour Government to make. Dr Luke Evans MP and I have worked hard to ensure that our constituents’ voices are heard, and we will continue to do so. I sincerely hope that the new government closely considers the serious concerns that have been raised locally.
“In South Leicestershire we already have one of Europe’s largest logistics parks and we are surrounded by nearby rail freight interchanges. The government urgently needs to produce a strategy for strategic rail hubs otherwise we risk having them haphazardly located across the country, blighting local communities.”
