Representation by Michael John Kelly
- Date submitted
- 10 May 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Hinckley National Rail freight Terminal. 1. Outline: The original proposals for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Infrastructure outlined a number of strategic requirements for the building of this business park and rail yards. Additionally a number of statements where made outlining the use, capacity and environmental impacts of the increases to both rail and road traffic. It should be noted that this hub is not situated in Hinckley, a major town with a population 115,000, 95% of this proposal is in Elmesthorpe Village with a population ±750. Multiple objections were raised by the Elmesthorpe Parish Council, a statutory consultee which extended to 18 pages in 2019??? Tritax have now substantially changed those requirements, indeed they have increased them many folds in some areas, to such an affect that the original objections, although still relevant, now need to be addressed in a number of areas. 2. Strategic Line From Felixstowe A substantial element of the original proposal was the strategic positioning of Elmesthorpe on the Hinckley to Leicester line with strategic access to Felixstowe, via Leicester, for the Midlands industries. It is now the case that that requirement is now being completely fulfilled by the East Midlands hub, which also sits within the alleged Tritax ‘ Golden Triangle for logistics’, with a proposal and agreement to connect that East Midlands hub to the Felixstowe line. Thereby negating this original strategic objective for which Elmesthorpe was chosen. 3. No of trains & Trucks The original proposal was for the capacity for 8 trains up and down on this track on a daily basis, that subsequently changed to 12 train each way and now the latest proposal increases to 16 trains a day either way: a doubling of the original requirement. The environmental impact of this doubling now needs to be revisited in the areas of a. Noise pollution. This yard is 45 metres from the nearest residential properties and has multiple dwellings within 400 metres. Indeed Elmesthorpe village end to end is ¾ of a mile and this is planned in almost the dead centre of the village.. The impact of 32 extra trains, HGVs, industrial equipment such as cranes and gantries will be substantial. Presently trains blow their horns to pass over the local foot crossings and can be heard from some distance. b. Air pollution: The doubling of trains will have a substantial impact on this small village from exhausts of both trains and HGVs c. Light Pollution from floodlights, new street lights and the increase in traffic is going to seriously impact the local environment with light pollution. d. Number of HGVs now need to access the area has grown to a quoted figures of 650 per day. 4. Physical ability of tracks It should be noted that the tracks servicing the current line may not meet the needs of this increase in freight and tonnage over the existing tracks, local bridges and crossings (both road and river) either in the immediate vicinity of Elmesthorpe or further afield. There appears to be no survey completed that shows how this increase in traffic will impact what is primarily a spur track for passenger trains. There is a flood plain 2 miles to the west just after the village of croft where the train track crosses the River Soar. There are regularly floods between the Coventry road and Croft when the Soar overflows and the provided consultations by Tritax show no plans to address this. 5. Arable land The world, including this country, recently faced a number of food shortages of agricultural produce in the local shops and supermarkets caused by multiple external factors. Yet this proposal plans to remove another ±800 acres of prime arable land. When taken into context with the other multiple hubs in the local areas our local farming industry is being devastated. 6. Local traffic. Tritax have shown plans that bear no sense of reality. An showing an A47 access road. That access exits onto the very narrow B4668 road. The only way for any HGV to exit or access the site is to either turn left through the centre of Hinckley or right to the roundabout to join the A47 at Clickers Way. Anyone local will tell you the A47 by pass narrows to single lanes and getting access to either the A5 Going east or the A47 to Leicester, going west, is already beset by major traffic jams for the majority of the day. This is because of the rapid growth of housing estates and industrial areas along the bypass. It is now a regular occurrence for Tesco Lorries to sit in the middle of the road outside their warehouse awaiting access. Once you are off the bypass the roads and traffic issues are already subject of major debate. There is currently no access to or from Coventry on the M69 at the junction of the B4669. The new junction does not clearly show the plans to address that major omission.