Representation by Alexandra Griffiths
- Date submitted
- 1 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
It is not a good location. I thought the A14 was built to facilitate goods being transported from the east coast. Warehousing has sprouted up to support this route which is all at the A14/M1/M6 interchange area. A rail terminal needs to be located there not 20 mile away. The close by rail bridge to the rail fright terminal over the A5 is famous for the number of lorry strikes. This causes tremendous hold ups and if we start having regular long freight trains the mind boggles what would happen if we had various passenger trains stacked up in a queue with a freight train. There is no demand locally for this facility we don’t have large industrial manufacturing firms in Hinckley or surrounding area. The pointless result will be we will get a massive flow of lorries from Stoney Stanton going to Lutterworth where there are loads of existing warehouses desperate for an onsite rail link. The A5 (single carriageway in many places) is busy enough already without an additional fleet of lorries cruising up and down particularly south where we have a couple of accident blackspots (Smockington Hollow). The logical thing would be to create a rail terminal nearer where it is needed, and a demand exists, utilising the old rail track routes that once serviced Lutterworth. If this project proceeds, I for one will be moving home as this huge development will devastate the area. It will be a blot on the rural landscape. No amount of landscaping and painting them blue will hide these massive sheds. The road network around here is poor mainly Victorian era infrastructure. Barwell, Stoney Stanton and Sapcote are a nightmare at busy times of the day due to the narrow roads. The A47 from Leicester to Hinckley is single carriageway only and suffers holdups with the existing usage. The proposed "connection" of the site to the A47 is in the vicinity of the Crematorium (in course of construction) 2 sports grounds and access to a country park. If one of these sites have an event it is chaos on the road at the moment without the introduction of additional huge lorries. Why are we turning this part of Leicestershire into a concrete jungle with thousands of houses proposed (2 SUE’s approved) and then this. What effect will this rail terminal have on our air quality? The rail line is diesel powered then all these extra lorries and finally workers driving themselves as no public transport. I don't believe they have even considered building a passenger rail station which might reduce the impact of workers cars despite there being one at this location historically. Do we have a pool of labour locally - I suspect the answer is no so they will be coming from and wide. What effect will 24-hour lights have on the wildlife on Burbage Common a small green island for wildlife? Even after mitigation if the new rail terminal at East Midlands airport is anything to go by it is 24-hour day light. The Common is an important local recreation area which will be blighted with the noise of trains and the sight of Warehouse sheds. If this is about sustainable infrastructure have the developers seriously considered the line from Leicester to Coalville and beyond that must have derelict land ripe for development and improve an existing rail asset possibility contributing to the reintroduction of passenger traffic. As a Shareholder I can see the motive why Tritax is doing this. It is perfect way to get virgin building land and even if the Rail Terminal is a white elephant, they can always convert the sidings into more warehousing in the future.