In light of yesterday’s announcements and the Chancellor’s plan for growth, I have urged the Government to follow the Planning Inspectorate’s recommendation to turn down the proposed Hinckley NRFI and to not break protocols at the expense of our community.
A reminder of what’s happened so far:
- In September the Planning Inspectorate released its report which recommended the Government reject the building consent application for the Hinckley NRFI.
- The then-Transport Secretary, Louse Haigh, wrote that she was “minded to refuse” the application by Tritax Symmetry but requested additional information from the developer on eight specific points.
- The developer, Tritax, has responded to these questions and registered Interested Parties now have until Friday 7th February to submit their thoughts on the proposal.
- A decision on the HNRFI is expected to be made on, or by, the 10th of March.
Both myself and Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire where the HNRFI risks being built, have been repeatedly raising concerns around the missing or insufficient evidence that has been submitted as part of this application.
After the Chancellor’s comments about ‘prioritising’ infrastructure applications such as this, I am concerned that the 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 our area.
I have been repeatedly raising objections around the impact the rail hub would have on our area, the additional pressure on our roads and infrastructure, issues around noise and light levels and the impact on our environment – particularly Burbage Common.
You can see the latest information provided by the developer here: Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange - Project information
If you’re a registered Interested Party and want to provide further comments to the Secretary of State on this proposal, please do so by emailing: [email protected]
You can see more about my work on this here: Updates on the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange proposals | Dr Luke Evans MP
