Representation by Market Bosworth Parish Council (Market Bosworth Parish Council)
- Date submitted
- 6 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Parish councils
Market Bosworth Parish Council has not previously commented on the planning application for the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange as it does not have the relevant expertise in all the areas involved. However, Members now wish to submit 'local' comments on the proposed project as follows: 1) Whilst the project includes some proposed road infrastructure changes, these are inadequate to address either the potential negative impact of increased through-traffic across the wider local area, or the local road infrastructure condition. Traffic surveys should be extended to include roads around Market Bosworth (where there could be an increased likelihood of vehicles cutting through the town between the A447 and the A444) and local villages (which could suffer similar 'cut through' traffic). The Parish Council suggests that traffic monitoring cameras, speed limits and appropriate signage should all be factored into the project and should be put in place, not just in the local vicinity of the proposed interchange, but across the wider rural area which will undoubtedly see an increase in traffic if the development is granted permission. 2) The Parish Council is not qualified to comment on local landscape impact but is worried about the wider picture and potential negative impact on the environment of such a large project e.g. in relation to adjacent green areas. 3) The Parish Council questions whether another rail freight interchange is really necessary given the relatively close proximity to other such developments in the region. Surely rail freight interchanges should be for longer distances and heavy goods which is simply not necessary in Hinckley especially when considering its restricted local infrastructure and proximity to other interchanges.