Representation by Jonathan Oakley
- Date submitted
- 18 June 2023
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
We would like to register our opposition to the development of the rail freight hub and development of housing to the west of Sapcote and Stoney Stanton. The developments will wipe out a huge parcel of rural land and the natural habitats of a wide variety of wildlife. We have already witnessed the assault on the countryside with the expansion of Magna Park at Lutterworth and the huge distribution hubs developed by Amazon and DHL at J1 M69. The Housing development that is enveloping large swathes of land on the NE side of Nuneaton towards the A5 and let us not forget New Lubbesthorpe. The proposal for more development around Earl Shilton simply adds to the feeling that the so called golden triangle is producing financial gain for the developers with little thought to the historical identity and ecological value of the area. The proposed construction of southbound access to the M69 will place further pressure from J2 M69 along the Sapcote Rd into Hinckley. The road is a carpark at peak times both am and pm. Moreover, the roads through both Sapcote and Stoney Stanton will become the defacto access to the M69 from the vast majority of commuters looking to head south from the Fosse villages. You only need to witness the lengthy queues of traffic at Smockington Hollow at peak times to understand that those travelling Southbound will undoubtedly travel through Sapcote and Stoney Stanton. Neither Sapcote nor Stoney Stanton have the infrastructure to cope with an increase in traffic nor is there space to implement an upgrade to the existing roads. Moreover, I don’t see why the people that chose to reside in either of the affected areas should be made to suffer the noise and pollution that is likely to occur not to mention the years of disruption from the construction. I’d like to highlight the reasons that we chose to live in the village of Sapcote. As we progressed in our careers and our families grew, we were in a position financially to be able to move away from the city and settle in Sapcote. A small village surrounded by mainly rural countryside with a few ecological and biodiverse gems locally. Also historically there is an early Bronze Age occupation site that was discovered here and a Roman Villa and Bath House dating from the 1st century AD. From the 12th-14th century the village was the home of the powerful Basset family. Whilst significant in our decision to choose Sapcote to settle, the fact that it is a sleepy village with hardly any traffic and a nice sense of community, our dream of a quiet pollution free future has been shattered by the prospect of the proposed developments. Myself, my partner and all of the people that we know in our village are opposed to the plans in their entirety and wish for our views to be heard and registered in opposition.