Representation by Alan Davies
- Date submitted
- 8 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
I agree, like most people, with the principle of transferring more freight from road to rail and therefore the need for Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges (SRFI’s). However, they should not have a massive detrimental impact on local communities and important wildlife habitats. I would also agree with Dr Luke Evans, MP for the Bosworth Constituency, that a national strategy is needed on the location of SRFI’s rather than speculative investment companies putting forward their own ad-hoc proposals just for the benefit of their shareholders. At the end of the day, the national benefit of a SRFI has to be balanced with the interests and wellbeing of local people and wildlife. Hinckley is less than 9 miles from Magna Park, one of Europe’s largest distribution hubs that has proposals in the pipeline to increase its size with 36,000sq.m of logistics buildings. Another distribution hub is not needed only a few miles up the A5. BURBAGE COMMON AND WOODS Burbage Common and Woods is an important local nature reserve and country park situated on the eastern edge of Hinckley, part of which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It is about 80 hectares in extent having its own visitor centre and coffee shop. The area comprises a mix of semi-natural woodland and unspoilt grassland with an excellent variety of fauna and flora. A considerable number of visitors from all over the district visit the attraction, particularly at weekends and when special events are held. It is also an excellent educational resource catering for school visits. Activities can range from pleasant walks in a tranquil setting, horse riding, falconry, pond dipping and a host of other rural pursuits. A considerable number of bird species live in the woods and the dawn chorus walks are a popular attraction. The adjacent Aston Firs Wood, although privately owned, is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The fields surrounding the woods and Burbage Common, are particularly important as they are the feeding grounds for the birds and other wildlife that live in the woods. This viewpoint has been endorsed by planning inspectors when dismissing planning appeals in the area. The assertion that the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange’s (HNRFI) environmental impact will be minimal is clearly wrong. One of Burbage Common’s main attributes is its rural setting on the edge of a large urban area. The building of a 226ha rail freight interchange on its boundary will therefore have a huge detrimental impact on its rural character and wildlife. The proposed enormous warehouses, gantries and cranes will all have a massive visual impact. Views will be blocked by huge warehouses. No amount of landscaping, nor the provision of additional open space, will overcome the visual dominance of the buildings and gantries in what is an extremely sensitive and pleasant location. The impact from the industrial estate operating 24 hours a day, with the noise, fumes and vehicles accessing the complex, together with the floodlighting at night, will be another blight on the wildlife. Burbage Common’s status as an important local nature reserve and country park will be significantly diminished if the rail freight interchange goes ahead. ROAD PROPOSALS When the M69 was opened in 1977, Junction 2 was intentionally built with no vehicular access to and from the south. The reason for this was to protect the settlements to the east from a significant increase in traffic wishing to access the motorway. A bypass to Sapcote was considered at the time, but the final decision was to only have slip roads to and from Leicester. The only significant factor that has changed since 1977, is that traffic numbers have increased considerably. Therefore, to state that improvements to Junction 2 and the building of a 226ha rail freight interchange will not have an adverse impact on the Hinkley Urban Area and the settlements to the east is irrational. Vehicles travelling west will have to drive along Sapcote’s narrow main street to access the HNRFI and M69. Furthermore, the proposed A47 Link Road will be a particular eyesore running across open fields along the edge of Burbage Common. The noise and fumes from the large number of HGV’s and cars using the link road and the road lighting at night, will have a negative impact on the tranquillity and rural charm of the area. NOISE POLLUTION The cumulative effect within the HNRFI from cranes, the crashing of containers on one another, the bleeping of reversing vehicles, railway engines shunting, will all have a marked effect on noise levels. It will especially be a problem for residents who reside at the edge of the complex, on the travellers and mobile home sites and wildlife that live in Burbage Common Woods. The proposed enormous acoustic barriers will only have a marginal effect on reducing noise levels, particularly during summer evenings when windows are left open. LIGHT POLLUTION It is known light pollution can have a detrimental impact on people by disrupting sleep, and wildlife regarding its migration, reproduction and feeding patterns. The HNRFI will not be like a stadium where lights can be turned off when the activity is finished, it will be operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The ‘skyglow’ from the complex will be seen over a considerable distance impacting on residents and wildlife. HINCKLEY URBAN AREA The Hinckley Urban Area has taken its share of warehouse development in recent times, particularly along the A5 corridor where there are proposals for even more development. The HNRFI will be comparable to a small settlement with all its associated infrastructure, enclosed by huge earth mounds. No amount of environmental measures will diminish the immense harm if the proposal was to go ahead. TRITAX SYMMENTRY Tritax Symmetry is a speculative investment company which, as one would expect, is in the business of making large profits for its shareholders. The company, therefore, is prepared to make a substantial financial investment to promote the HNRFI, providing it will make a hefty profit at the end of the process. Why does the proposal have to be so large? The rail freight interchange will be 226ha in area, nearly four times larger than the 60ha minimum threshold for a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project. The reason why the development site has to be large, sited on greenfield land, is to finance all the extensive off-site improvements that are needed to try and overcome the enormous environmental and traffic problems, and of course, also make a substantial profit for Tritax Symmetry.