Representation by Richard George Allwood
- Date submitted
- 27 May 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I will send you a copy of my original letter to the relevant dept, company, organisation that was involved in the previous consultation. My comments remain valid as I see nothing has really changed in the proposals put forward. I would like to add that I have discovered since the last supposed consultation that if it goes ahead Narborough will be cut off from Littlethorpe for 40 minutes each hour as the level crossing between the 2 villages will be shut! Having recently had to visit Littlethorpe, the level crossing was shut,for passengers to board/alight from a train. The traffic either side of the crossing was backed up and causing enough disruption on nearby road junctions after only 5/7 mins. I was told that this happens 4 times every hour now! I will now copy in my original letter- MR. R.G.Allwood Age – redacted Having looked at your response sheet from the inadequately housed consultation in Burbage Millennium Hall on 24th. January 2022, I am of the opinion that my responses could be misinterpreted. Therefore, I will send you my opinions via this email. I have carefully studied all of the information available by yourselves and other interested parties. My opinions will be based upon that research and local knowledge. Being approx. 15km from 2 under used RFI’s this proposal is unnecessary. If there has to be another RFI surely constructing a rail link to the vast Magna Park would be more cost effective and less damaging to the environment. Couple that with the proposals for residential properties on the other side of the M69 it will be an environmental disaster. And not just the physical effects on flora, fauna and wildlife. This area of the country has been renowned for its poor air quality for decades. The recent increase in warehouse construction over the previous years has done nothing to improve this, with the increase in HGV traffic in particular. Couple this with the lack of "Clean Air" policies of local authorities the day-to-day life of someone with respiratory problems is really difficult and isolating. The proposals on show, in the inappropriately sized room at Burbage Millennium Hall, only add to that problem. Taking freight off our overcrowded trunk roads is admirable but you are then concentrating the problem in an area with already high levels of air pollution. This in turn means you are storing up medical problems for the NHS in the future. The proposed road improvements mentioned are irrelevant if the construction of the rail hub goes ahead with the increase in both goods and commuter traffic. Therefore, you will only be restoring the status quo! Which is currently struggling with high levels of traffic both commercial and domestic. I must ask the question, are the railway tracks up to the job? From my knowledge of the Nuneaton to Leicester line, both ends feed into what would I call Main Lines. These linking the Capital with both the North West/Scotland and Leeds/North East. The volume of traffic proposed would surely mean major works there to facilitate safe transition from branch line to main line and vice versa.? I can see no reason for the construction of what I have to describe as " a blot on the landscape ". The servicing of MIRA has been mentioned but this is purely a research establishment and in no way a mass production site. Therefore, why so much warehousing, bearing in mind the recent developments on the other side of Hinckley/Burbage? Then there is the promise of mass employment for the locality. That would be fine if there was a shortage of job vacancies locally. As is happening at Magna Park now, employees are either bussed in from the large populations at each end of the M69 and further afield or they use their cars to travel! The only conclusion I can come to, is that financial gain is the prime goal at all levels! With little or no respect being given to the natural environment, health concerns of the local population and to be honest, is it really needed? Being the age that I am, a lot of these proposals are not going to radically affect me. But to not say anything about this abomination, that will leave a poor legacy for my immediate family and friends, would be in my mind criminal!!